Pancha Mahabhuta
by Aonadharcach
Summary: Iyame has known Goku since before he was locked in the cave. See what happens when the Pancha Mahabhuta are reunited during the journey West. With any luck they'll be able to collect enough friends to complete the mission. GokuxOC
1. Chapter 1

**Notes:**

All recognizable characters belong to Kazuya Minekura and the rest are mine. I really love these guys and hope I do all right keeping them in character. :)

~Tali

**Chapter 1**

"Nooooooo!" Goku screamed as the staff punched through Sanzo's chest. All he could feel was an overwhelming darkness where his sun had been. Hakkai was lying nearby, having already suffered the same fate. Goku looked between the pair of them and then lifted haunted eyes to Gojyo a moment before his limiter fell to pieces at his feet. Deadly claws extended and his wild hair blew around him in the light evening breeze. Elliptical irises narrowed as he brought his claws down in a swipe powerful enough to separate head from body.

Gojyo watched as Goku tore the youkai apart while still howling his grief to the uncaring sky. Once he was done with that one, he moved on to the next. After ascertaining that Goku was occupied, Gojyo turned his attention to his fallen friends and sprinted over when he saw a strange girl standing over them. She was young, maybe Goku's age, with pale skin, and very long hair the purple of deep twilight. Her bangs were long and spiky across her face while her hair was pulled back in a high ponytail that was teased by the wind. She had on a long fitted black dress with silver edging that laced up the sides. The sides were unlaced from the knees down so she could walk easily in her heavy boots. His eyes narrowed as he spotted what was surely her limiter – a silver ear cuff on her left ear that attached in two places with three chains dangling between the cuffs.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" he demanded, axe point under her chin.

"I am healing them." she replied evenly, no hint of concern in her sky blue eyes.

"They are dead."

"That does not matter." She flicked a glowing finger at him and Gojyo doubled over as he felt his insides make a violent bid for escape.

"You . . . bitch." he gasped as he fell to the ground.

Gojyo watched helplessly as she removed her limiter, knelt between his friends and pressed a hand to each of their chests. Her entire body glowed a brilliant golden white. He watched as the blood slowly disappeared from their clothes and the glow subsided. She turned untamed eyes on him for a moment before picking up her cuff and clasping it on her ear once more. She then returned her level gaze to him and touched one fingertip to his forehead. Gojyo sighed in relief when the pain immediately subsided. She stood gracefully and stepped away from the pair on the ground and indicated that he should check them.

He knelt between the pair and checked them over. They had no wounds at all, not even a scraped knuckle as far as he could see. _And they were breathing slowly and evenly._ Gojyo stood up and studied the girl closely before nodding to her. "Thank you."

"You are welcome." she replied.

Her eyes shifted over his shoulder and he realized there were no more sounds of violence behind him. Gojyo spun around in time to see Goku, who was some distance away, drop his last victim and turn his golden eyes towards them. "You might want to leave now if you plan on surviving the night." he said quietly to the girl behind him.

She paid his words no mind as her face broke into a joyful smile and she started running towards Goku – now Seiten Taisei. Gojyo sprinted to catch up and caught her arm. He pulled her violently away from her goal, "He's going to kill you. Get out of here now."

She continued smiling at Goku and tried to shake loose. "He will not harm me. Let go or I'll make you sick again." Gojyo tightened his grip and continued pulling her away.

The girl turned blazing blue eyes on him, "Last time. Let. Me. Go."

He shook his head and she flicked a finger at him again. He dropped to the ground, too ill to do anything but watch as she ran over to the monster in Goku's skin, who gave her a feral smile before picking her up and giving her a kiss so passionate that Gojyo blushed.

----------

Seiten Taisei watched as his mate started towards him. He narrowed his eyes as Taisho tried to stop her but allowed her to defend herself as he knew she could against that one. He smiled as she broke free and ran towards him, while noting she had not killed her foe but merely made him ill. She really was too kind. If that one interfered again, he would destroy him for daring to touch his mate. When she was close he crouched down to catch her and she wrapped her legs around his waist.

He growled possessively before crushing his lips to hers. He ran his hands down her back and up her thigh as they kissed passionately. Long minutes later, but still too soon, she pulled away and breathed deeply while resting her forehead against his.

"Seiten, I have missed you." she whispered before rubbing her cheek against his.

He set her down gently and wrapped his arms around her tightly, happy to finally see his mate again.

----------

Gojyo watched as Goku cradled the girl against him as if she was the most precious thing in the world. A low rumble sounded and it took him a moment to realize the monster that lived in Goku's body was _purring_. What kind of creature was she to have tamed that monster? The girl wrapped her arms around him in a tight hug and Gojyo continued to watch as a light came down from the heavens above them.

"Keep him still for a moment more." an impatient voice said.

The light transformed into Merciful Goddess and Gojyo sighed in relief. At least Goku's limiter would be put back on now. Once the limiter was in place, Goku collapsed and the girl swept him up as if he weighed nothing.

"Iyame, you have found your mate when he needed you the most, as you asked." Merciful Goddess said.

Iyame bowed as much as she could with Goku in her arms, "Thank you for your kindness and guidance, Merciful Goddess."

The Goddess reached over and placed her hand on Iyame's forehead, it glowed brightly for a moment before she removed it, showing a silver band circling the girl's head where her hand had been a moment before. The ear cuff fell to the ground, unneeded. "You power has been unlocked and your age unfrozen. I will leave it to you to repair your mate's limiter next time he breaks it. Though with you around, he probably won't feel the need to."

"Your generosity knows no bounds, Lady. I thank you for all of your help." Iyame replied with her head bowed.

"Make sure they get where I sent them." With that Merciful Goddess disappeared.

Iyame straightened and walked towards Gojyo. She flicked a finger at him and the pain once again disappeared.

Gojyo slowly stood and glared at her. "Who the hell are you?" he asked quietly.

"A friend. Please, gather your belongings and I will take you to shelter and heal your wounds."

"What about Sanzo and Hakkai? I can't just leave them here." he replied.

"They are coming as well. Let's go." she said and walked over to the pair. A moment later both were floating quietly beside her and she was watching him quizzically.

Gojyo shrugged carelessly and gathered their belongings before walking up to the girl and indicating that she should lead the way. She set off at a brisk pace and he followed quietly.

----------

Iyame looked up as she heard rustling above her and watched as a small dragon circled and then landed softly on Goku's stomach. "Hello there, little one. I'll patch you up as well once we arrive." she told the small creature when she saw the ragged spots on his wings and the blood marring his coat.

She paused long enough to open the door of the abandoned cottage she had put her belongings in not long before and then walked inside. She floated Goku and pulled the blankets on the bed down long enough to put the other two into it and check them over one final time before tucking them in for the night. She pulled some blankets together and made a pallet for her and Goku and placed him gently on it. She brushed her fingers across his cheek and smiled when he turned his face into her glowing hand. Once he was healed she turned towards the only other conscious person in the room.

"I am Son Iyame." she said as she bowed to Taisho's latest incarnation, for she knew without doubt that is who he was and her joy at having her family together was boundless.

"Sha Gojyo. What did you do to them?" he asked.

"I healed them as I said I would. Now it is your turn."

"I've had enough of you flicking your damn fingers at me, thank you very much." he replied evenly.

"They would not have been able to come back if I hadn't healed them within a couple of minutes, and he would have killed you if you had succeeded in stopping me. I only made you sick because you gave me no choice and I removed it as soon as I was able." she explained gently.

He continued to glare at her, "No, thank you."

"As you wish." she replied before turning to Hakuryuu. "Will you allow me to heal you, little dragon?"

The dragon flew over and landed in her arms when she reached out for him. The girl's hands glowed brightly and all of the blood on his coat disappeared. When they stopped the little dragon stretched luxuriously. She turned and placed him gently on the bed between the two men. "Get some rest and you'll feel much better." she admonished him as he curled up on Hakkai's chest.

Iyame returned her attention to Gojyo. "Will you please allow me to heal you? You are in a lot of pain and you don't need to be."

"I wouldn't be in so much pain if you hadn't put me in it." he retorted.

"That is not true, Gojyo. I removed all of the pain I inflicted. The rest is from your battle injuries. I prefer to get permission, but it is not necessary." she told him.

"What the hell are you talking about? You can't put your hands on me if I don't want you to."

"I don't have to touch you to heal you, it just makes it easier." She shrugged before continuing, "I can always wait until the pain and blood loss make you pass out if that is preferable to you."

Gojyo growled, "Fine."

Iyame walked over to him and rested her palm against his chest where it glowed brightly for a several moments before fading back to normal. "Better?"

"Yes." he replied, somewhat grudgingly.

"I will leave you to your rest now. Good night." she said as she walked over to Goku and climbed under the blankets with him.

"Wait a minute. What do you think you're doing?" he asked.

"Sleeping. Good night, Gojyo. Get some rest." With that she curled protectively around Goku and appeared to go instantly to sleep.

Gojyo stared at her for a moment before shrugging and climbing into his own pallet.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

"Who do you think she is?" Hakkai asked Sanzo the next morning.

The pair had woken up before the others and were currently sitting crossed legged on the bed watching the purple-haired girl and Goku sleep. They were wrapped completely around each other and sleeping deeply.

"She must be a healer since we're not dead." Sanzo replied irritably before taking a deep drag on his cigarette.

Hakkai smiled, "We're as far from dead as we can get. I can't find so much as a single scratch anywhere."

"Look, they're waking up. Now you can ask _her_ questions instead of bothering me." Sanzo said as the pair on the floor stirred. He watched with interest as Goku opened his eyes slowly. They were blurred with sleep and he closed them again and nuzzled closer to the girl. Suddenly, his eyes snapped open and he jumped out of the bed.

"What the hell? Why is there a girl in my bed?" he yelled.

The girl's eyes snapped open at his abrupt departure and she sat up quickly, looking around in confusion for a moment. The moment was all Sanzo needed to recognize her limiter and point his banishing gun at her head.

Gojyo sat up quickly and looked around, taking in the scene, before leaning against the wall to watch it play out.

"Who are you?" Sanzo demanded.

"A friend. If you would kindly lower your weapon, I will explain." she replied with no fear in her eyes.

"You do know what this is, don't you?" Sanzo asked.

She raised one slim eyebrow, "A banishing gun. If you would?"

"No. You will explain yourself now." He fired a shot just to the side to make his point.

Iyame's eyes narrowed dangerously and before anyone could react she had hit Sanzo with a dart of energy. The gun fell from his useless fingers and his eyes widened as he realized what she had done.

"Sanzo!" Goku cried and ran to his sun.

"Don't touch me, monkey." he growled.

Goku stopped and turned towards the girl. "Iyame! What did you do to him?"

She smiled, "You remember my name."

Goku blinked at her for a moment while he went over what he had just said. "How do I know you? Wait, what did you do to Sanzo? Can you undo it?"

"I paralyzed him. I will remove it when he agrees to behave as befitting a gentleman and a priest. I will explain everything to you, Goku. Any explanations to them are at my discretion and I will _not_ do so at gun point."

Goku looked at Sanzo and saw the fury in his eyes. He returned his gaze to the girl, "Iyame, please undo it. He's only going to get madder if you try to make him promise."

She sighed. "As you wish, Goku." She reached over and tossed the gun to Gojyo, "Please don't give that back to him right away."

Iyame stood and stepped over to Sanzo. Her brow furrowed and she leaned forward to inhale deeply at the juncture of his neck and shoulder.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" he demanded, desperately wishing he could move away from the youkai currently invading his space.

When she stood straight she smiled softly at him and ran her knuckles down his cheek before speaking. "I'm glad you survived, Kazuki. I had suspected it was you." Her look turned business like, "Now, don't make me harm you after I worked so hard to bring you back to life last night and before we have a chance to catch up." she told him as she placed her hand on the back of his neck for a moment. It glowed for a moment and then Sanzo was standing and had a tight grip on her throat, while she had an equally tight grip on his wrist.

"Sanzo! Stop it! Let her go." Goku cried as he tugged on the priest's arm.

Sanzo's harisen came out of nowhere and thumped Goku on the head repeatedly until he released his arm.

"Perhaps, we should give her a chance to explain, Sanzo." Hakkai said in his quiet way. "I remember a terrible pain in my chest and then nothing. What about you?" he asked.

Gojyo finally spoke up, "Both of you were dead last night. The youkai put a staff through your hearts. She brought you back to life and then went to Goku while he was in his other form. He didn't try to harm her. She spoke with Merciful Goddess and the Goddess told her that next time Goku broke his limiter, Iyame could fix it now that her powers were unlocked. You should probably put her down, Sanzo. She's indulging you."

Sanzo looked at Iyame, "Is that true?"

She gave a short nod and a pointed squeeze. He narrowed his eyes but released her after a moment. She gave him a disgusted look and muttered something that sounded suspiciously like "Ungrateful brat." before turning on her heel and stalking out of the cottage.

----------

Goku looked from Sanzo to her retreating back several times before frowning and following her. He caught up with her and walked by her side quietly. For a long time she gave no indication that she knew he was there, but then she reached over and twined her fingers with his.

He almost stopped walking at the sensation that came over him from her touch. It was as comforting as coming home, as exciting as fighting a skilled opponent, as filling as the best meal, and as familiar as his own name. Speaking of names . . . .

"Why do I know your name?" he asked curiously.

"I am you mate, your wife." she replied quietly.

Goku's eyes widened in surprise and he tugged her to a stop. "My wife? How can I be married? Sanzo found me when I was a child; I wasn't old enough to be married."

"You are different, as am I. Ones such as us have mates chosen at birth who balance us or our power would be too much. We are linked on a fundamental level; it's in our blood and bones. We grew as close as two people could. We played together, lived together, and learned many things together. We were both taken before the Merciful Goddess – you as a heretic and me as a pet." She looked down at their clasped hands, "It is partly my fault that you were imprisoned. I was away, training with my Master, when it happened. We underestimated how close we were and I was gone for too long. It affected us badly and you lost control. Had I been there, it probably would not have happened at all."

"You know what I did?" he asked with a mix of dread and curiosity.

"Yes, but I am forbidden to communicate it in any way." she replied.

"Oh. Was it really horrible?"

"You were trying to protect a friend."

"But that's not so bad." he said.

"The method got out of hand. Your intentions were pure." she replied softly.

"How are you the same age as I am?" he asked curiously.

"When you were imprisoned I prayed and prayed that we would be reunited when you needed me the most. My grief of being away from you was such that any plant I passed would wither and die and people got sick just being in the same room as me. It was overwhelming and I could do nothing to stop it or control it. I was lost without you, who had always been there for me. I had failed you and you were suffering for it. One day, Merciful Goddess came over and told me that we would be together again. She locked much of my power so that I could not destroy heaven and earth with my grief and told me that I would stop aging when I reached the age I needed to be when I found you again. She told me to learn as much as I could because I was going to be on my own for a very long time. She was right."

"If I meant so much to you, why didn't you look for me?" Goku asked in a pained voice.

Her eyes locked with his, "I did! I have been searching for you for nearly five hundred years. I do not think I was permitted to find you until now because I could not sense you clearly until a few days ago. Once I could, we moved as quickly as possible towards you. I have been all over Shangri La searching for you. Never doubt that I will always be by your side and want to stay there. Perhaps it is because it is time for the Pancha Mahabhuta to reunite."

"The what?"

"Pancha Mahabhuta: the five great elements. Something terrible has happened, perhaps we are meant to stop it and that is why all of us are together again."

"Again?"

"Yes. We knew the other three in one of their previous incarnations. You became friends with them and introduced us to each other. We became a sort of family."

"We're on our way to fix the minus wave that made all the youkai go crazy." he offered, pleased that he had known and loved his family before.

She nodded, "That would probably explain it then."

He nodded, "We should get back."

"As you wish." she said reluctantly as she followed him back towards the cottage.

----------

When they got back they found Hakkai gathering ingredients for breakfast. Iyame shooed him away and took over the cooking. Soon some truly delicious smells were coming from the kitchen and everyone's stomachs started growling appreciatively. She set filled plates in front of each of them, starting with Goku, then took a seat at the table next to him and began to eat without a word to anyone.

"Iyame, thank you for bringing me back last night. If there is anything I can do to repay your kindness please let me know."

"Keep him from pointing that annoying thing at me and I will consider us even." she replied quietly without looking up.

Everyone heard the click of the gun being cocked and looked at Sanzo, who once again had the gun out and pointed in Iyame's direction.

"You are a very slow learner, aren't you Kazuki? My answer is as before." she returned to her bowl and continued eating.

"Who are you?" Sanzo demanded.

She ignored him and continued to eat her breakfast.

"Sanzo, just put the damn gun away, okay? She said she would answer your questions if you weren't pointing it at her." Goku cried.

"Shut up, monkey."

"Take your own advice, blasphemous one." she snapped. "I know you were raised better than that."

Sanzo stared at her in surprised silence.

Gojyo chuckled, "Why won't you just answer the question, Iyame?"

"I saved his life last night; the least he can do is speak to me without trying to threaten me." Iyame replied.

"Trying?" Sanzo asked with a dangerous edge to his voice.

She sat back and crossed her arms. "Yes, trying. You have no idea who I am or what I can do. Your attempt to frighten me is a waste of time. I am no youkai, priest."

Sanzo studied her thoughtfully for several tense moments before uncocking the gun and placing it gently on the table. He left his hand resting on top of it and leaned back in his seat. "I'm listening."

"My name is Son Iyame. I am Goku's mate." she said calmly.

"Titles?" Sanzo asked, covering his surprise with a glare.

"Yochi Taisei, Byyako." Iyame replied.

"Great Sage, Equal to Earth?" Hakkai asked.

"White Tiger of the West?" Gojyo asked.

"Yes. Goku and I are balance, ying and yang, equals and opposites in all things, and can draw on each others talents when we wish. I am the air to his earth and the water to his fire."

"Why are you just showing up now?" Sanzo asked.

"I have been looking for him for 500 years and was only able to sense his location within the last few days. I prayed to Merciful Goddess to allow me to find him when he needed me the most and that is why I am here now." Iyame explained.

"He needed you the most now? What about the other time he went berserk?" Gojyo asked.

"I do not know. All I know is that two of his family were dead when I got here and it appeared he needed my help quite a lot."

"So, would it be that Goku is equal to you as heaven rather than equal to heaven as a place?" Hakkai asked curiously.

"Both." came the quiet reply.

"Why didn't he try to kill you when he was in his other form?" Sanzo asked.

"I am his mate and he knows me, even if his conscious mind does not remember."

Gojyo raised a brow, "If his greeting was anything to go by, he certainly knew who you were."

Sanzo and Hakkai looked at him questioningly.

He shrugged, "How would you greet your mate if you hadn't seen her in 500 years and were a hormonal teenager?"

Goku's eyes widened, "What do you mean?"

"I'd be happy to give you a demonstration, if the lady consents?"

"She does not. It is getting late, should we not get on the road?" Iyame replied primly.

"We?" Sanzo asked darkly.

"Yes. Merciful Goddess told me to make sure you get where she sent you."

"There is no room for you in the jeep. You are not coming."

Iyame scoffed, "As if you could stop me. I do not need a ride from you. I have been making my own way just fine for a long time."

"Iyame, may I ask why you keep calling Sanzo 'Kazuki'?" Hakkai inquired politely.

Sanzo's eyes snapped over to him before he returned his gaze to Iyame.

"That is the name I knew him by when he was a baby."

Sanzo's jaw clenched and the vein on his forehead started pounding as the others looked back and forth between them.

Goku finally worked up the nerve to ask, "You knew Sanzo before he lived at the temple?"

"I helped bring him into this world."

Round eyes from all but Sanzo greeted this statement. He glared darkly at her and she smiled back at him.

"You will find it difficult to intimidate someone who changed your diaper and walked you to sleep as many times as I have."

He growled and looked away from her, his internal conflict poorly masked for a moment.

"If you have any questions you may ask any time you wish." she said before standing and clearing the table. Goku stayed at the table for a moment before following her into the kitchen.

"Thank you for breakfast, Iyame." he said shyly. "It had some of my favorite things."

She smiled over at him, "I had hoped they were still your favorites."

"Can I help you clean up?" he asked uncertainly.

She tossed him a towel and he grinned at her. Once the dishes were done and the food packed up they left the kitchen to collect everything from the bedroom.

The three men were still sitting at the table and watched the couple as they moved around the cottage.

"You know, he's been very quiet this morning." Hakkai said to Sanzo.

Sanzo narrowed his eyes, "He does seem to enjoy following her around, and hasn't gotten into a single argument with Gojyo yet this morning. It's been rather peaceful all things considered."

"She can sit in the backseat with me anytime." Gojyo said cheerfully.

"She is an accomplished healer, Sanzo." Hakkai said quietly.

"Iyame." Sanzo called.

She walked into the dining area and stopped just inside the doorway, Goku on her heels. "Yes?" she inquired politely.

"I would like you to join our party." Sanzo said as if he were bestowing a great gift.

She tilted her head and raised one brow, "Is that so?"

"It is. There is enough room in the jeep for you and your belongings as long as you pack light."

"That is a very kind offer." she replied noncommittally.

Goku whooped and started dragging stuff outside. She turned and followed.

"She didn't seem very enthusiastic, did she?" Gojyo asked.

"No. She didn't agree or disagree either." Hakkai mused.

"She's coming to keep the monkey entertained and out of our hair and to heal us when we need it. That's all." Sanzo snapped.

Goku stopped abruptly by the window as he heard Sanzo's comment, and Iyame ran into him.

"Sorry." she said as he turned around. She caught the hurt look on his face and caught one of his hands in hers, "What is wrong?"

He glanced at the window and back at her without saying anything.

"He is an angry person, Goku. Do not take what he says to heart." she told him kindly. "Would you like to ride with me today?"

"Ride with you?" he asked, golden eyes shining with curiosity. "How have you been getting around?"

She smiled mischievously, "You will see."

He returned her smile before going back into the cottage.

"Have we got everything?" Hakkai asked as he gave the room a final looking over.

"Yes." Goku confirmed.

"Let's go." Sanzo said.

Gojyo slung an arm around Iyame's shoulders, "You can sit next to me, pretty lady."

"That is a very kind offer, but I have my own transportation." Iyame replied.

He looked around curiously but didn't see anything. "What transportation?"

Iyame let out a piercing whistle and the group heard a rustle in the bushes. A moment later two giant Maltese tigers walked into the clearing and right up to Iyame. The tigers were so tall that the men only came up to their shoulders. Their eyes were a clear blue and they had well defined black stripes across their heads and backs. Their faces had bluish purple fur between the stripes that was very beautiful. Their bodies had a combination of bluish purple and white between the stripes, with less white on their backs and sides and more on their stomachs.

"Virya, Dana, these are our new friends." She indicated to each member of the party to come up so the tigers could learn their scent and introduced them by name. She saved Goku for last.

"This is our Goku." The two tigers sniffed him especially close and Virya gave him an apprising look before nudging him hard enough to knock him over.

"Virya! That was not very nice. Get to know him before you start trying to push him around." she admonished as she pulled Goku back to his feet. "I am sorry. They are like parents to me. He was just trying to decide if you are acceptable." She turned back towards the tiger, "It is too late, Virya. That ship sailed a very long time ago."

He nuzzled her shoulder gently before lying down next to Dana, ready to be loaded up and head out for the day. Iyame showed Goku how to strap on Dana's harness so she could carry the supplies.

"Can I pet her?" Goku asked.

"You should ask her, not me." Iyame replied cheerfully.

He turned towards the tiger and shyly asked, "Can I pet you?"

She regarded him imperiously for a moment before stretching her head forward so he could scratch behind her ear. Goku tried a couple different places and she started to purr, loudly. He looked at Iyame in alarm but she just smiled.

"She likes you." She turned her attention to the other men, "Are you going to stand there all day or are we going to head out?"

They climbed in the jeep and Hakkai started the engine. Goku walked over to Sanzo, "I'm going to ride with Iyame today." he said happily.

"I don't care." came the indifferent reply.

Iyame watched this with narrowed eyes while leaning against Virya's neck. "You can push him around all you want." she said quietly to the tiger. He cocked his head and considered the bright one.

Goku's shoulders slumped but he tried to find a smile as he walked back towards Iyame. "Ready?" he asked brightly.

"I am. Do you want to ride in the front or back?" she asked him.

"I'm taller than you, so I should ride behind you so you can see where we're going too." he replied.

"Very well. Watch closely." She showed him how to get onto the tiger's back without pulling on his fur too hard.

Once she was on, Goku swung up behind her but was unsure what to do next to keep from falling off. She turned around and saw his expression.

"Silly monkey, come here." she said affectionately as she reached back and tugged his hand until he had scooted up against her. He sat stiffly as she placed his hand on her stomach and reached back to do the same with the other. He could feel the weight of her bust on top of his arms.

"What are you doing?" he squeaked.

"Making sure you do not fall off." she kept one hand on top of his and buried her other in Virya's fur. "Shall we?"

The two tigers stood up and followed the jeep as it pulled away. Once they hit the open road Hakkai slowly sped up and watched the tigers to make sure they were keeping up. "It looks like we won't lose any time during travel." he said cheerfully to Sanzo once they were up to their usual travel speed.

"Marvelous." came the dry response.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Goku was still sitting stiffly behind Iyame and she twisted to catch a glimpse of his face. "Goku, if you are that uncomfortable, you can ride in the jeep."

"No, it's just that I've never-" he broke off as a blush climbed up his cheeks.

Iyame studied him for a moment before realizing what he was saying, "It is just being so close to me?"

He blushed even more and nodded mutely.

"If you want, we can swap spots after lunch." she offered.

He considered that before realizing that if they did _she _would be pressed against _him _and would have her arms wrapped around him with her hands resting on his stomach . . . . what if they slipped lower?

"N-no. I'm fine." he stuttered.

"Let me know if you change your mind." she replied.

"Okay. Can you tell me about when we were growing up?" he asked tentatively.

"Of course. Let me see, once upon a time there were two very powerful beings born. One from a place deep in the earth and the other from a place high in the sky . . ." she began.

Gojyo had been watching the pair for quite a while and was happy to see Goku finally relax. He could tell the close proximity to the pretty girl had been making him uncomfortable, but he seemed recovered now that Iyame was chatting brightly about who-knows-what. He turned forward and studied the back of Sanzo's head. _Looks like it's time for a little monk baiting._

"I'm hungry. When are we going to stop?" he demanded in his best little monkey impression.

"I will kill you if you start pretending to be the monkey." came the tart reply.

"But I'm bored. And I really am hungry. It's been a long time since breakfast." Gojyo complained.

"I was thinking we should stop up there in that group of trees." Hakkai indicated to a small group of trees that offered a little bit of shade.

"Sounds good to me." Gojyo replied and lit another cigarette.

A few minutes later they pulled over and hopped out of the Jeep so Hakuryuu could transform. They watched as the two tigers walked up and crouched so their riders and supplies could be removed.

Goku jumped off and reached up to help Iyame down. He set her on her feet and realized she was only a couple of inches away. They gazed into each others eyes for several moments before Gojyo cleared his throat. The pair blushed and stepped away from each other. Iyame went to get supplies out for a quick lunch and Goku removed the harness so Dana could stretch a bit. She nuzzled him gently on her way over to Virya.

"Quick lunch, you two. Do not stray too far, please." The cats bumped her in acknowledgement on their way out of the temporary camp.

"I'm so glad we finally stopped for lunch. I'm so hungry!" Goku complained.

Sanzo tapped his harisen against his hand threateningly.

"I'm going to help Iyame make lunch." Gojyo said and wandered over to the girl to offer his assistance.

"How much further is the next town, Sanzo?" Goku asked cheerfully.

"Do I look like a map?" he asked irritably.

"Come on, Sanzo. Why are you so mad?" he asked.

"I'm not mad. I just don't want to listen to annoying little monkeys chatter about nothing." he growled.

"Sanzo!" Goku cried.

"Leave me alone, monkey." he replied and thwacked Goku with his fan for good measure.

Goku's shoulders slumped and he turned away from Sanzo and wandered a little ways away from everyone. Across the camp Iyame's eyes narrowed in anger, but no one noticed. Lunch was finished and she called everyone over.

"Iyame, where did you get those tigers?" Hakkai asked.

"They were a gift from Merciful Goddess when I turned eighteen. She said as long as I treated them like family they would stay by my side." she explained.

"So, they are almost five hundred years old?" he asked curiously.

"Yes. They are virtually immortal. She said once we became close our families would always be linked. They and their children will watch after me and mine for all time."

"Can anyone talk to them or just you and Goku?"

"Anyone can speak with them if they approach with a sincere desire to know them. Why do you ask?" she replied.

He gave a small chuckle, "I would like to speak with them."

"Dana is easier to speak with than Virya, but if you approach him right he will consent to speak with you."

They finished eating and got back on the road. Goku sat behind her, lost in thought. She rested her hand on his and stroked it gently with her thumb. After a while the combination of sun, quiet, food, the nearness of her mate, and the rhythmic motion of Virya beneath them lulled her to sleep.

Goku snapped out of his thoughts when he felt her slump against him. He instinctively tightened his grip and held her securely against his chest. He smiled shyly when she snuggled into him and decided being married wasn't such a bad thing. At least he didn't have to worry about telling her about his other form. He shifted his grip so that he could hold her with one arm and Virya with the other.

He looked around and realized it had gotten dark while they were riding. Goku watched as the jeep pulled into a cluster of trees and waited until Virya crouched down before waking Iyame up.

"Iyame?" he said quietly.

She murmured and snuggled closer to him.

He tried again a little louder and she shifted a bit then opened her eyes.

"Hi. Did I fall asleep?" she asked in a low voice that sent tingles down his spine.

Goku smiled at her, "Yeah, but now you gotta wake up."

She straightened up slowly and stretched extravagantly before turning to him and smiling. "Thanks for letting me nap on you."

"Any time." he replied before dismounting and reaching up for her. "I'll get everything off of Dana if you want to start dinner." he grinned charmingly. He was very hungry.

"Okay." She followed him over and picked out what she wanted to use for dinner. They turned at the sound of Gojyo and Hakkai returning to camp with an armload of wood each.

Hakkai tended the fire and Gojyo offered to help with the prep work. They worked companionably together chatting about this and that. Goku came over to check on Iyame after he had taken the harness off of Dana and given her and Virya a good ear scratching. He saw she was fine and wandered over to Sanzo.

Goku tried to start a conversation with him several times but the priest just brushed him off. Finally, annoyed beyond endurance, he took out the harisen yet again and smacked the monkey on the head.

As Sanzo brought it up for a second swipe it was yanked abruptly out of his hand and suddenly he was the one being swatted. Hard and repeatedly.

"What the hell do you think you're doing, woman?" he roared. "I will kill you!" he pulled his gun out of his robes and tried to point it at her.

Unfortunately for him, she was very fast and was still hitting him with the damn fan while growling angrily.

"You want me smacking you upside the head with that next? You better put it away." she growled at him, still swinging the paper fan.

The other three shook off their surprise and tried to figure out what was going on and how they could help without anyone accidentally getting shot.

"Maybe if we can restrain them both at the same time?" Gojyo suggested.

"But how? She's as strong as Goku and Sanzo's no push over. And there's the gun . . ." Hakkai returned.

"I can handle Iyame. You two get Sanzo." Goku said.

The three shared a look then separated and quickly moved towards the fighting pair. Goku latched his arms around Iyame at the same time Gojyo and Hakkai grabbed Sanzo's arms. The three pulled the pair apart and they tried to get back at each other.

"I am not done teaching that brat some manners. Let go of me!" she cried while fighting hard against Goku.

"Iyame, stop it. He's my sun, why are you hurting him?" Goku cried. She went limp so abruptly that he almost dropped her.

"_He_ is your sun? Why? He is so cruel to you, Goku. I have known him for a day and he has hit you over two dozen times with this fan," here she paused to give Sanzo a venomous look while ripping it into pieces, "has insulted you every time you have tried to start a civil conversation, and has hurt your feelings at least three times – not counting the fan incidents."

Goku gaped at her in surprise. No one had ever kept such close watch on him or worried about his feelings so much. "You noticed all that?" he asked, stunned.

"Of course I did." she replied with a glare. "What kind of wife would I be if I were oblivious to your feelings?"

"He saved me from my prison and helped me into the light. I know he doesn't act very nice, but he does care about me." Goku pointed out.

"Are you asking me to turn a blind eye to someone who hurts you repeatedly?" she asked quietly.

"Not exactly. I'm asking you to look again and see that he does care, he's just not willing to show it." he said.

She studied him closely for a long moment. "I will trust your judgment and look again, Goku." she finally said.

"Will you apologize to him?"

She looked deeply offended at the suggestion, "I am going to finish preparing dinner now."

Goku followed her over and watched her and the others worriedly. He wanted everyone to get along and be happy. This was not a good start. What if Sanzo made her leave? He fretted while he helped her finish preparing their meal. He stole bites from the pan while she wasn't looking until she laughed and told him to knock it off or he'd spoil his dinner.

----------

Meanwhile on the other side of the clearing, Gojyo was doing his best to hold in his mirth at the priest being beaten up with his own damn fan. Hakkai was trying to talk Sanzo down and get him to put the gun back in his robes.

"Maybe she reacted that way because of the link between her and Goku? We don't know anything about it but it seems to make them very protective of each other. Perhaps she perceived you as a threat to her mate and reacted accordingly." Hakkai consoled the irate priest.

"How dare she use my fan against me?" he glared across the camp in time to see her glare at him and rip his fan into pieces. "How am I supposed to get another of that quality?"

"We'll find a new fan in one of the next towns. I'll help you look." Hakkai offered.

"I could kill her for this." he stormed as he remembered hearing her call him a brat. That was the second time that day she had said that.

"And then have to deal with Goku all on your own again? Think about how peaceful it was today." Hakkai reminded him.

Sanzo took a deep breath and let it go. He'd get back at her later. He put the gun back in his robes and tugged free of their grasp. "I'm fine." He went over and sat down as far away from her as possible while still being near the fire and lit a cigarette.

Iyame finished cooking dinner and served it to everyone before settling down as far away from Sanzo as possible to eat. The other three tried to make conversation with the pair but they were not in the mood to cooperate. They finally gave up and spoke among themselves instead, leaving them to brood.

After dinner Iyame gathered the dishes and scoured them clean with sand. She then dug around in her bags for several moments before pulling out a small bundle. She started to leave the camp but was stopped by a hand on her arm. She followed it up to Goku's worried face.

"I will be back in a little while, Goku. Go spend some time with your friends." she told him quietly.

"But Iyame, it's not safe." he argued.

"Goku, I have been on my own for a long time. I can take care of myself and right now I need some time alone. Please do not worry, I will be back in a while." she gave the hand on her arm a gentle squeeze and then let go.

"Be careful." he admonished before releasing her arm and watching her walk away. He returned to the fire and sat down between Gojyo and Hakkai.

"And where has your harridan gone, monkey?" Sanzo asked.

Goku shrugged. "She said she would be back in a while."

"You aren't worried about her?" he asked snidely.

"She's been taking care of herself for longer than any of us have." Goku replied before leaning over towards Gojyo and whispering, "And she did get the drop on _him_ after all."

Gojyo burst out laughing and Goku joined him, thinking it was nice to be able to spend time with his friends in front of the fire, talking and laughing. They passed the time playing cards until late and everyone decided it was time to turn in.

Goku made up his pallet and wished for a moment that he was unconscious again so he could sleep next to Iyame. He cast a worried look at where she had disappeared but did not see her heading back. He could find her if he wanted to, but was afraid that would make her think he didn't trust her to be able to take care of herself. _But what if something happened to her and she's hurt?_

He debated for a moment more before creeping stealthily in the direction she had gone. He wouldn't talk to her; he just wanted to make sure she was okay. He followed her scent for a few minutes and found her not too far from camp, just barely within hearing distance. He hid behind the leaves and watched her bend over something she was working on. She was sitting with her back to him so he couldn't tell what she was doing. Everything appeared fine and he didn't detect anyone else nearby. Goku watched her for a moment more before withdrawing as silently as he had arrived.

Once back at camp, he sighed and sat down with his knees drawn up against his chest and his arms wrapped around them. He did not want to go to sleep until she had safely returned to camp. He gazed up at the stars as his eyes grew heavy, and eventually he fell asleep waiting for her to come back.

----------

Iyame studied her handiwork carefully before deciding it was perfect. She stretched and heard several cracks. She gathered up her tools and bundled them all together. The walk back to camp didn't take but a few minutes at her ground eating pace and she was ready to get some rest.

She crept silently into the camp and gathered her blankets. She looked around and spotted Goku on her side of the fire. He was sitting up, but his head was resting on his knees and he hadn't responded to any of the small noises she made. She walked stealthily over to him and rolled out her blankets right next to his. She smiled as she remembered him checking in on her a while ago. She had not let him know that she knew he was there, but she thought it quite sweet that he wanted to make sure she was safe.

Iyame knelt next to him and eased him down into a lying position before covering him up so he would not catch cold. She climbed into her blankets and was asleep quickly. She never noticed the amethyst eyes that watched her every move or the apprising look they gave her.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

The next morning she woke up and saw that Goku had reached out and was holding her hand in his sleep. She smiled and gave it a small squeeze. He woke up, blinking his beautiful golden eyes at her sleepily.

"Good morning." she said softly.

"G'morning." he rumbled back before realizing he was holding her hand. He let it go with a blush and hurried away.

Iyame watched him quizzically before she pulled something out of the bundle she had brought back the night before and walked purposefully over to Sanzo. She sat down across from him and waited for him to acknowledge her.

The other three tried to pretend they weren't watching, waiting for another explosion.

After several minutes of Sanzo ignoring her and her not going away he finally looked over to see what she wanted. "Yes?" he asked indifferently.

She held out a cloth covered bundle without saying a word.

He narrowed his eyes but took the bundle. He opened it and, if you were looking very carefully and knew him very well, you could see the tiny smile playing at the corners of his mouth.

Goku saw it and was happy. He had no idea what she had given him, but it had worked as an apology.

"Where did you find one?" he asked flatly.

She smirked at him, "I make them. I made your last one, and it hurt my heart to destroy it."

"You made that fan?"

"That is part of what made me so angry. Try to refrain with this one if you would. It will annoy me if I have to keep replacing your fans because you are hitting my husband with them." she replied tartly before getting up to make breakfast.

Sanzo watched her walk away and realized that she was the part of Goku he could never quite see. He watched as the monkey blushed when she walked over to him and spoke shyly when she asked him a question. _Maybe she isn't so bad after all._

He turned his attention to the fan and opened it thoughtfully. He stared in surprise at the beautiful painting that adorned it. It showed a temple in the clouds surrounded by a field of flowers. There were five people sitting together on the steps and they looked a lot like his friends – companions – and her, but with small differences. The detail was exquisite and he could see why she was gone for so long last night if this is what she had been doing.

A while later he looked up as Goku handed him a steaming bowl. "Breakfast." was all he said as he took a seat nearby and started eating. The others joined them and soon were chatting quietly.

Goku looked over at Iyame as something from the previous day drifted across his mind, "Hey, Iyame, can you explain more about Pancha Mahabhuta?"

She glanced over at him, "What do you want to know?"

"What is it?" he asked as the others looked at her curiously.

"Pancha Mahabhuta are the five great elements: bhumi is earth, vayu is air, agni is fire, ap is water, and akasha is aether. All things are created from them."

"What does that have to do with us?" Gojyo asked.

"The five of us are representations of those elements and can be a powerful force when we work in concert for a specific goal."

Hakkai studied her thoughtfully for a moment, "And you believe we have a specific goal?"

She shrugged, "Goku mentioned something about fixing the minus wave. If that is not it, then you have another task or soon will."

Sanzo gave Goku a dark look, "You should not share that information with strangers."

"She's not a stranger, Sanzo. Don't you remember her at all?"

"No." he replied irritably.

Goku turned to the other two, "Don't you?"

Iyame was watching them closely, "Remember, incarnations do not usually have access to their previous memories. Even though I knew Sanzo as a baby, he was too young to remember me. You know me because this is the same life. They have lived several lives between then and now. I have not been able to find them every time."

"What do you mean?" Gojyo asked.

"For five hundred years, I have traveled over Shangri-La. I have run into the three of you at various times and we have stuck together whenever that has happened. Sometimes I only find one of you, sometimes two, once I found all three of you, but the five of us have not been together in a very long time. I have helped bring a few of your incarnations into this world, and they have not always been male. The picture on Sanzo's fan is of the last time all of us were in the same place at the same time."

"What picture?" Goku asked brightly.

"Yes, what picture is that?" Hakkai asked.

"Let us see it, monk." Gojyo demanded.

Sanzo glared at them before pulling out the fan and opening it so they could see the painting.

"Where are we?" Hakkai asked.

"In heaven."

Rounded eyes greeted her response.

"We were in heaven?"

"Yes. Goku and I were taken before Merciful Goddess and she put us under her nephew Konzen's – Sanzo's – care. I am afraid his temperament was similar to what it is now and we drove him rather mad. Although Hakkai was kind enough to try to keep us out of his hair at least some of the time by teaching us how to read and various other things once we mastered that."

"The monkey can read?" Gojyo snarked.

"Hey! I can read, ero kappa."

"What happened?" Sanzo asked.

"The five of us spent much of our time together until you found out I had the ability to heal others and sent me to train with my Master."

"How did he find out?" Goku asked, upset that she had been sent away.

"Your friend, Prince Nataku, came home seriously injured. He was the war prince and fought Heaven's battles at the Jade Emperor's command. You brought me to meet him and when I saw him I felt so sorry for his suffering that I took his hands in mine to offer comfort. They started to glow and his injuries healed in front of our eyes. You dragged us over to see Konzen and the others and the very next day they sent me away to study."

"Why would you do something like that?" Goku demanded of Sanzo, forgetting for a moment that the monk had no idea.

"I found out later that it was to protect me. Nataku's father went directly to the Jade Emperor and told him what I did. They decided I should join Nataku on all of his campaigns so I could heal him immediately and he would never have to stop fighting. By the time the official order came, I was gone and no one knew how to find me."

"How long were you gone?" Gojyo questioned.

"I think it was the equivalent of one hundred years on earth. By the time I had found my way back, Nataku was catatonic, Goku had been locked away somewhere and the rest of you were back in the reincarnation cycle. Merciful Goddess met me as soon as I stepped foot on the grounds and told me what had happened. Later on when my grief became apparent enough for others to start noticing I was back, she locked my powers and told me I would stop aging and then when we found each other I would start again. She had one of her aides help me hide until I was old enough to take care of myself and then gave me the tigers and sent me out into the world to find you."

"What caused everything to go wrong?" Hakkai queried.

"I cannot say."

"Cannot or will not?" Sanzo demanded.

"It is forbidden. Ask Merciful Goddess next time you meet if you wish." she replied.

They grumbled a bit but let it go and spent the rest of breakfast considering what she had told them.

----------

The next several days passed quietly and miserably. They were travelling through a huge expanse of desert and it had been five days since the last town. Everyone was hot and tired and sick of sand. There were hardly any trees or shrubs to be found and shade was a luxury they did not get much of. There was one upside though, Iyame was able to heal their sunburns on the spot so at least they didn't have that to worry about as well.

"What did we do while we were in heaven?" Goku asked quietly, looking for any distraction from her nearness.

"We learned and explored and saw many beautiful things. Is there anything specific you would like to know?"

He shrugged, "Can you tell me why I had shackles on when Sanzo found me?"

Her eyes darkened as her jaw tightened, "I can."

He looked at her expectantly for a moment before he realized she was not going to elaborate. "Well?"

"When they found us they tried to take me away because they thought I would make a pretty pet for the goddess. When you defended me they took you for a heretic and bound you with shackles that weighed a few hundred pounds apiece to slow you down. After they limited you they were not necessary but they would not remove them anyway. They were afraid. Fools." she replied darkly.

"What did I do?" he asked nervously.

"You killed their best warrior protecting me. They thought you killed the other but that was my doing."

He looked at her in surprise, "You killed someone?"

"Certainly. They were trying to take me away from my mate. Of course they thought you did it so you were blamed for both. Once they decided to take you instead I convinced them to take me as well. After all, I was small and cute, hardly a threat but I could get you to go quietly."

"You made me go?" he asked in disappointment.

"We were young but I could tell we had no choice. We could go willingly or fight but either way you were going."

"So what happened once we got there?"

"Merciful Goddess took a liking to us and gave us to her nephew."

"You make us sound like pets."

"It began that way." she agreed.

"Then what?"

"He couldn't help it. We really were too much for him."

"What?" Goku demanded in high suspense.

"He came to love us as his own quasi children."

"Sanzo? How long did that take?"

"Quite awhile, but we're very adorable when we wish to be. Eventually he had no choice but to succumb to us."

"And then we were a family." he said blissfully.

She smiled, "More or less."

"So what did we do when we weren't bugging Sanzo?" he asked.

"Hakkai spent as much time as he could teaching us to read and write and then our numbers as well. When he wasn't teaching us we would explore the grounds and surrounding area. We chased butterflies so beautiful they would make your heart ache to see. We picked lovely flowers and put them in vases on Sanzo's desk. We watched the clouds make beautiful shapes in the sky as we lay in the meadow. We met many gods, goddesses, and other beings." her eyes clouded slightly.

"What's wrong?"

"Sometimes I worry about a friend I had to leave behind. I hope he's all right."

"He's in heaven, he should be fine, right?" he asked.

"I hope so." she replied softly. "He didn't belong there any more than we did and he didn't have the benefit of Sanzo watching out for him."

"Can you get him?"

"Probably, but it would be risky so I'll work on it after we take care of the minus wave. That is most urgent at this time."

"Can I help?"

She smiled, "Of course you can. I won't be able to do it without you."

He looked away from her and realized the others had come to a stop. It must be time to camp. They followed suit and were soon stopped next to them. Goku helped Iyame down from Virya and misjudged how much space was between him and the big cat. Iyame ended up pressed against him by the time her feet reached the ground. He blushed fiercely and stuttered as he hurried away. Iyame followed him with her gaze, slightly hurt that he was so uncomfortable around her. She sighed and started preparing dinner.

Gojyo and Hakkai had been watching the pair and saw that Goku was getting more and more uncomfortable around his mate. They had a fair idea as to why but were unsure if they should interfere or not. It was not their place, but anyone could see the couple was unhappy.

Goku had gone to sit quietly next to Sanzo so Gojyo decided to help Iyame prepare dinner. He had gotten spoiled by her cooking and was happy to lend a hand if it meant he got to eat well.

Sanzo looked down as he heard Goku sigh for the fourth time in as many minutes. "What?" he asked abruptly.

Goku pulled his knees to his chest and rested his chin on them. "I don't know what to do." he finally said.

"About what?" Sanzo asked, dreading the answer.

"Iyame."

Sanzo looked over and saw the girl cooking dinner. She looked more subdued than usual, but that was the only thing he saw out of place.

"If you had a fight with her, go talk to Hakkai. He's good at making peace with people."

"We didn't fight."

"Then what?" Sanzo asked, thoroughly exasperated with the conversation.

"I feel drawn to her. Like I can't stay away and I need to touch her all the time. I wake up every morning holding her hand. I've been trying to sleep away from her but I can't sleep until I moved my blankets next to her. She got angry with me this morning and I don't understand why. And she's very pretty, you know. I keep thinking I want to-"

"Stop!" Sanzo said desperately. Goku was probably the only one that could tell he was desperate but that was fine since that's who he was talking to. "You need to talk to Gojyo. He can tell you everything you need to know and plenty you don't."

"But I don't want to talk to Gojyo about it. He'll just tease me." Goku protested.

"No, he won't. Tell him I'll shoot him if he does." Sanzo argued.

"Sanzo! I would rather talk about it with you. Please?"

"I'm a monk. What advice can I give you about these things?"

"I don't know. Anything? Please, Sanzo?" he pleaded.

"Fine. She is your mate. It's natural to have those feelings and there is nothing wrong with acting on them as long as she's willing. But don't act unless you're very far away from wherever I'm sleeping." Sanzo explained. "Any practical advice you need will have to come from someone else."

Goku smiled at him, "So it's okay?"

"Yes." Sanzo growled and pointedly pulled out his fan.

"You better not be thinking about what I think you're thinking about Genjo Sanzo." came Iyame's sing-song voice.

Sanzo glared at her but put the fan away.

"Thank you, Sanzo." Goku said before scampering off to try to steal a bit of food while Iyame cooked.

It had become something of a game between them. He would sneak bites of food and she would pretend she didn't notice for a while and then she would swat his hand and scold him about spoiling his dinner while he laughed.

Sanzo had watched the pair closely over the last week and had noticed the tension growing between them without realizing the cause – selective observation. He had wondered why the monkey had set up his blankets away from her for the last few nights even though he was next to her in the morning. It was nothing he wanted to know about so he pretended it didn't exist.

They had not seen a single youkai since she had joined them and Sanzo was a little worried about how she would do in battle. However, she had been on her own for a long time so she should have picked something up that would help them. Or at least keep her out of trouble. Tomorrow they would reach a large town and he would probably find out then.

He watched the four work together to get dinner ready and saw that she was blending into their dysfunctional family unit very well. She mothered Gojyo, discussed books with Hakkai endlessly, adored her husband, and sassed him at every turn. _Well, that's what happens when you distance yourself from people,_ a traitorous voice spoke in the back of his mind. He shut it up and watched her bring a steaming bowl towards him.

"I made your favorite." she said quietly.

He looked into the bowl in surprise, "What makes you think this is my favorite?"

She winked at him – _winked_ – if you can believe it. "That's my secret."

He picked up his chopsticks and began to eat. It _was_ his favorite thing that she had cooked so far. Flavorful noodles with vegetables and a spicy sauce he couldn't quite place. He might have brought her along if all she could do was cook. All of them had managed to put on a couple of much needed pounds in the last week.

That night Goku looked at Iyame shyly as he took her blankets and added them to his to make one pallet for them both. "You said we slept together every night growing up." he offered in explanation.

She smiled and hugged him tightly. "Thank you."

They climbed under the covers and Goku felt awkward for a moment before Iyame put her head on his chest and curled against him.

"Good night." she whispered as she rested a hand on his heart.

"G'night." he replied as he ran a hand down her back.

The other three men looked at each other and snickered before turning in for the night.

----------

They entered the town around midday and Iyame moved up so she could call down to Hakkai.

"I know the lady that runs the inn across town. Follow me, please."

He smiled and waved for her to lead the way. The three men in the jeep looked around warily as they saw children start following them, chattering brightly among themselves.

Finally, they arrived at a large and attractive inn and pulled to a stop as Goku helped Iyame down. The children came up tentatively, staring at the big cats.

Iyame addressed her friends, "Dana, Virya play nicely with the children, please." She turned towards the children, "Children, please be kind to my friends."

"Iyame-chan! How wonderful to see you again!" cried a large, motherly woman standing in the doorway of the inn.

"Kensi-chan! It is good to see you again. I brought my husband and friends this time. Let me introduce you." Iyame walked over to the woman and embraced her before reaching for Goku and pulling him forward.

"Goku, this is Kensi. Kensi, this is Goku, my husband."

Kensi grabbed Goku into a bear hug that left the young man gasping for breath and blushing furiously. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Goku-san. You are staying with me, ne? I'll put you in my best room." She called her daughter over and sent her to stock the room for them.

"All right, dear, who are your other friends?"

Iyame gestured to each in turn, "This is my family: Sanzo, Hakkai, and Gojyo. Do you have enough room for all of us?"

"I have two additional rooms available, so two of them will need to bunk together. Will that be all right?" Kensi asked.

"Of course. Thank you so much, Kensi. How much do I owe you for the rooms for a couple of days?"

"No charge, dear. You know that. If you have any fans, I wouldn't say no to one. You make the loveliest ones I've ever seen. Oh, look." she said as she pointed towards the courtyard outside the front doors, "Your first customers are here. You can set up in the usual place. Boys, if you would follow me, I'll show you to your rooms."

"Thank you, Kensi." Iyame turned towards her group. "I will be in the lobby for a few hours. I will catch up with you by dinner, all right?"

"Customers? What do you do?" Goku asked curiously.

"Heal the sick and sell fans. Kensi is kind enough to let me use her lobby and I give her a commission for the space. I have been through here several times and her family and I worked out this arrangement a very long time ago."

"Can I stay with you?" Goku asked.

"If you like." she replied with a smile before heading over to Dana to unload her goods.

She and Goku set up her display case in an empty corner of the lobby and he watched as more and more people came in. Many of the older people greeted her warmly and she smiled and asked after their families. Most of them had come for help with arthritis and other age related illnesses and injuries. It seemed she was well known and liked among the town's people.

"Excuse me? How much for this fan please?"

Goku looked over at the source of the voice and saw a woman holding a fan. "Oh, um, let me check."

He walked over to where Iyame was and waited until she was finished with her customer. "Iyame, how much are the fans?" he asked.

"Whatever they think they are worth or can afford." she replied carelessly.

Goku frowned at her for a moment before returning to the lady with the fan. "She said they cost as much as you think they should or can afford."

The woman looked at the fan for a few moments before handing Goku a pile of coins. "Thanks!" he said as he put them into the money bag Iyame had given him to use.

Several hours later the last customer walked out the door and Iyame turned towards him and smiled when she saw the mostly empty display case. "I see your pretty face has done wonders for my fan sales." she teased as they packed everything up and carried it up to their room.

He blushed and changed the subject, "Can we eat? I'm so hungry!"

She smiled. "Sure. Let us see if we can find the others."

He twined his fingers with hers as they headed over to the dining room and she smiled happily. They walked in and looked around for a moment before spotting the others sitting at a table against the wall drinking.

"Hello." Iyame said cheerfully as she slid into a seat next to Goku.

"How did it go?" Gojyo asked around his perpetual cigarette.

Iyame happily placed the bulging bag of coins down on the table before answering, "Very well. I need to take out Kensi's commission, but I made enough to keep me fed and in supplies for quite a while. Goku was a great help."

Gojyo smirked, "I saw the monkey was a hit with the ladies."

"Shut up, water sprite!" Goku replied with a blush. "And quit callin' me monkey!"

"Why is she allowed to but I'm not?" Gojyo demanded.

"Cuz when you say it, it's an insult!"

"Che, monkey. Whatever." Gojyo sneered.

Iyame handed Goku the bag to hold onto as the waitress came over. They placed their orders and she left.

"So, how many times have you been here?" Hakkai asked.

"I usually make it through about once every ten to twenty years. It is the only town in this desert and functions as a major hub for travel in all directions."

"So that's why they know you so well?"

"Yes." she replied.

"Will Dana and Virya be all right out there?" he asked.

"They will be fine. Dana likes to play with the children and Virya will not stray far from her side as long as there are so many people around. Every now and then someone gets the bright idea that tiger pelt will make them rich. There usually is not enough of them left for me to heal." she finished quietly.

Gojyo looked at her in surprise, "Does that happen often?"

"Not anymore. All three of us have reputations in most of the civilized world now."

"Several years ago a town near my temple had a healer and two tigers come to town. A group of people tried to shoot the tigers and the ones that survived the tiger's attack died of some mysterious illness that no doctor could figure out. They said the men were in agony and it took weeks for them to finally die. Was that you?" Sanzo asked.

Iyame looked away guiltily and did not speak for a long moment. When she finally answered her voice was very soft and only the fact that Sanzo was sitting right next to her allowed him to hear it. "It was."

"I remember that. It was right after you brought me to the temple." Goku said.

Iyame's gaze found his. "That would explain a lot." she said quietly.

"What do you mean?"

"You are deadly when pushed the right way. I am a calming influence on you and you are an aggressive influence on me. If we were that close to each other it could be that I tapped into that unknowingly and that is what fueled my desire to punish them for what they attempted to do. I did not understand why it happened only that I wanted them to suffer until they died for trying to take away my family."

"Che, remind me not to piss you off." Gojyo joked.

She smiled slightly. "Do not shoot at my family."

The waitress brought over their food and they started eating. Goku stole a meat bun from Gojyo's plate and that started a round of fighting. Iyame picked at her food, lost in thought.

"Goku." Hakkai said quietly.

Goku stopped mid-yell and looked over at him. The older demon tilted his head towards Iyame with a pointed look. Goku followed his gaze and sat down abruptly. He reached over and touched her shoulder gently.

"Iyame? What's wrong?"

She was quiet for so long that he thought she wasn't going to answer. "I regret what I did. I should have just killed them outright if I wanted them dead, rather than make them suffer for so long. I really should not have killed them at all."

"They were going to kill your family. It makes sense that you would want to kill them back." Goku consoled her.

"True, but I spend so much time healing others that it feels wrong to kill." she replied.

"Well, you better get over that in a hurry if you're going to travel with us." Sanzo snapped.

"They are the only humans I have killed and it was not necessary." she replied.

"How have you managed to survive the last few years?" he asked in disbelief.

"Intimate knowledge of the body and its systems. Gojyo can attest to my ability to defend myself." she replied.

The kappa in question grimaced as he remembered how she had dropped him without even touching him and the misery he had been in until she lifted it. "Yeah. Her way isn't the same as ours, but it works well enough." was all he said.

They continued with their meal. Goku and Gojyo bickered over the food periodically but Sanzo put a stop to it when they started getting on his nerves. Suddenly the doors slammed open and a group of youkai walked in. Everyone in the dining area froze except for the Sanzo party.

"Sanzo party, we are here to take the Maiten Scripture." said the large, dark haired demon in the front of the group.

Goku whooped. "All right! A fight! Let's go!" He summoned his weapon and the rest of the patrons started running out the back door of the inn.

The rest of the party stood up and Gojyo jumped forward into the fight at the same time as Goku. Iyame looked at Hakkai for guidance and he smiled a little. "This won't take long at all."

She stood back a bit and watched them all fight. Goku and Gojyo seemed to enjoy themselves. They had even made something of a game of it. Keeping count and comparing numbers. She wasn't sure how she felt about that and she made a note to ask Goku about it later. Hakkai seemed to be very skilled with chi and was taking out any that the other two missed. Her eyes landed on Sanzo and she watched as he shot three demons in quick succession. Her gaze returned to Goku and she paused to admire his form and skill as he fought.

She was so involved in what was going on in front of her that she wasn't paying attention to what happened behind her. A small group of demons had come through the back door and one grabbed her with a laugh. She screamed as he swung her up and that caught the attention of her companions.

"Iyame!" Goku cried as he finished off the demon he had been fighting.

"Shit." murmured Gojyo as he took in the scene and started making his way towards her.

"Put me down!" Iyame demanded angrily. She couldn't believe he had caught her so off guard. _That's what you get for ogling Goku instead of paying attention to your surroundings._ she chided herself.

The youkai laughed, "You look too tasty to put down, little girl."

She gripped his arm tightly and suddenly he collapsed as he violently expelled his most recent meal. She stepped quickly out of the way and spun around to see several of them advancing on her. She raised her hands and hit them with a wave of glowing energy that dropped them all to their knees, suffering the same fate as the first.

"That is just disgusting." Gojyo said in utter distaste.

"That's how you defend yourself?" Sanzo asked with revulsion showing clearly on his face.

"Haha. Well it seems to be effective." Hakkai said. "And now we know why she wears such big boots."

"I'm with Gojyo. That's gross and unfair." Goku said looking vaguely disturbed.

"If you're going to continue travelling with us, you are going to have to learn to fight properly. I refuse to deal with anything this disgusting again. _Would you make them stop so we can finish killing them?_" Sanzo demanded.

Iyame shrugged and sent another wave of light at them. The vomiting stopped but none of them made a move to get up.

Goku and Gojyo frowned at each other. "I'm not going over there." Goku said.

"Me either." Gojyo said.

"I'll take care of them." Sanzo growled before shooting them quickly.

"I don't think I feel like dessert anymore." Goku lamented.

"So your appetite can be ruined. I had no idea." Gojyo sneered.

"Shut up, water sprite." Goku said. "I was looking forward to some of that pie."

"Monkey." Sanzo said to get his attention.

"Yeah, Sanzo?"

"You're going to start teaching her tomorrow morning."

"Teaching her what?" the monkey asked.

Sanzo gave him an exasperated look, "To fight. Unless you want to slog through messes like this every time she has to defend herself?"

Goku grimaced, "Not really."

Kensi came into the dining room at that moment. "Iyame-chan. Are you all right? Did they hurt you?"

"No, Kensi-chan. I am fine. I will help you clean up." she said as she headed over to the kitchen with the matron for cleaning supplies.

Sanzo gave the dining room one last disgusted look before leaving to go to the quiet of his room.

"He's got the right idea." Gojyo said and left with one last shudder.

Hakkai looked over at the two women and Goku before approaching carefully. "Would you like some help cleaning up?" he asked.

Kensi looked at him gratefully, "I wouldn't say no to another set of hands." She handed him a mop and went to get another. Goku and Iyame already had scrub brushes and buckets in hand.

"So this has happened before?" he asked conversationally as he began cleaning.

"Once or twice. If a woman travels alone long enough someone will take it into their head that they should be the one to remedy that." she replied.

"Ah. So it's happened all along and not just since the minus wave?"

"Correct. It's been humans, youkai, or groups of both."

"I see." he replied thoughtfully. "What about Dana and Virya? Do they help you?"

"If they can. The problem is when I am inside and they cannot get to me and I cannot get to them." she replied.

"What's with the throwing up? Can't you do that paralyzing thing like you did with Sanzo instead? It would be less messy." Goku chimed in.

Iyame shrugged. "I am not sure why. The first time I was attacked that is what I did and it worked so well I continued to use it."

Goku shook his head sadly. How could anyone want to fight without hitting their opponent?

Quite a while later they put away the cleaning supplies and Kensi bid them good night.

"Man, I'm hungry." Goku complained.

Hakkai looked at him before shaking his head. How anyone could have an appetite after what they had just finished cleaning up was beyond him. "Good night."

"Night, Hakkai." Goku said brightly.

"Good night Hakkai. Thank you for helping clean up." Iyame said with a smile.

"You're welcome. See you in the morning." he replied before heading up to his room.

"Do you think there's anything left to eat?" Goku asked Iyame.

"We can check to see if there is some pie left." she said.

He nodded and they headed over to the cold box. Iyame opened it and saw a neat stack of pies. She pulled one out and left some coins on the counter to cover the cost. She grabbed some forks and smiled at Goku.

"Shall we eat in our room?" she asked happily.

"Okay." he said as he followed her upstairs to their room and unlocked the door to let her in.

"I need to clean up before I can even think about eating." Iyame said as she placed the pie and forks on the little table.

"Yeah. Me too." Goku agreed.

They grabbed their pajamas and headed for the bathrooms. Goku saw Hakkai exiting as he entered and they smiled before going their separate ways.

Once clean they sat down at the table and munched on pie while they chatted about this and that. When the pie had been demolished they moved onto the bed and sat leaning against the headboard while they continued talking.

A light knock sounded on the door.

"Come in." Iyame called.

Gojyo poked his head in. "The monk said it's time for lights out."

"Okay. Good night, Gojyo." Iyame said.

"Night, kappa."

"Good night you two. Don't do anything I wouldn't do on that nice soft bed." he smirked before he closed the door.

Iyame felt Goku stiffen beside her and turned to look at him. "What is wrong, Goku?"

"N-nothing." he said uncomfortably.

She reached over and took his hand. "Goku?"

After a few false starts he finally asked, "What do you expect from me?"

"To be yourself, of course."

"I mean right now? Tonight? In this r-room?" he asked without looking at her.

She looked at him as understanding dawned and reached out to touch his cheek. "Goku, I expect to sleep next to you in a nice soft bed. Nothing more, nothing less. I am not going to ask you to do anything you do not want to do."

He relaxed and smiled at her. "Okay. I'll get the lights then." He went around turning out the lights before climbing under the blankets with her.

Iyame kissed him on the cheek before snuggling into his chest. She rested her hand over his heart and he reached up and rested a hand gently on top of hers while he tangled his other in her hair.

"Iyame?"

"Yes?"

"Why did it bother you to see us killing the youkai?"

She sighed, "They used to be normal people doing normal things before someone did something to destroy their minds. I feel sorry for them and each one we kill is another that will not be able to go home to their family when this is all done."

"I never thought about it that way."

"It is not easy to think that way. It makes things much more difficult when it comes down to you or them."

"Yeah, but you found a middle ground. We never even looked."

"You've done what you needed to do to survive. Good night, Goku." she said softly.

"Good night, Iyame." he replied just as softly before pressing his face into her hair as they drifted off to sleep.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

How do you live without playing the game

Sit on the side and expect to keep sane  
Step right up and be a part of the action  
Come get a piece of it before it's too late  
Take a look around  
You can't deny what you see  
We're living in a violent society  
Well my brother let me show you a better way  
So get your game face on because it's time to play  
~ Disturbed, _Violence Fetish_

Goku blinked his eyes open slowly as someone pounded on the door. Iyame's face was buried in his chest and one of her legs was wrapped around his hips, pulling her firmly against him. It was delightfully warm and comfortable. He growled lightly as Gojyo poked his head in cautiously. Iyame did not stir.

"What?" he asked as he picked his head up enough to see who was bothering him.

"Sanzo said it's time for you to get up so you can show Iyame some basics before we take off for the day."

"Go away." Goku grumbled before putting his head back down and pulling Iyame more tightly against him.

"No. You need to get up and get moving before the monk comes to get you." Gojyo said.

When he got no response he stepped into the room and walked over to the bed to poke at Goku. "Get up monkey. Iyame, you need to get up too."

She gave a quiet growl and pulled the blankets over her head.

"For crying out loud. Get up you two!" Gojyo yelled as he reached down and shook the bed.

Iyame jolted up and when her sleepy eyes landed on Gojyo shaking her bed she tackled him to the floor. Once he was down she glared at him before climbing back into bed and pulling the blankets back up over her head.

Goku looked between the stunned kappa sprawled on the floor and his wife curled back in bed and laughed in delight. "Come on, Iyame. Get up. It's time for you to learn how to fight!" he said as he tugged the blankets away from her.

She peeked open one eye, "Five more minutes?"

"No. Get up. I'm hungry and then we gotta get started." he said as he tugged her hair gently and then started trying to push her into a sitting position. "Come one, Iyame. Wake up!"

"Oh, fine. I am awake." she sat up and smiled at him before glancing at Gojyo who was standing huffily at the foot of the bed. "Sorry. I was not ready to wake up yet. Did I hurt you?"

"As if a little girl like you could hurt me." he scoffed, refraining from rubbing his sore backside where they could see. "Now get moving, you two."

"Okay." she said brightly before grabbing her clothes and dashing down the hall.

Gojyo watched her go with a raised brow. "I see you didn't do anything I would in the nice soft bed."

"Shut up, you pervy water sprite!" Goku said before grabbing his own clothes and walking to the bathroom to change.

After breakfast Goku led Iyame out into the back garden and smiled in delight at the prospect of teaching her how to fight. "I'm going to start out easy so let me know if I hurt you and I'll ease up."

"Can you show me how to block first? I have never gotten into a hand-to-hand fight before." she said.

"Okay. Watch this." he said and demonstrated several different ways to block.

Iyame watched closely and duplicated the moves a little clumsily.

"No, like this." Goku said as he guided her arms through the motions.

She narrowed her eyes. "Do that again." she commanded.

He guided her arms through the motions several more times before he let her go to try it on her own again. He watched her closely and noticed her stance was not as balanced as it should be. If he were to actually hit her, she's go flying whether her arm was up or not.

"Here, we need to work on your stance too." he told her.

"What do you mean?"

He reached over and pushed her and she nearly toppled over. "If I hit you, you'll fall because you're not balancing right."

"Oh. Okay, how do I do that?" she asked brightly.

He showed her a ready stance and she tried to duplicate it several times. At first she couldn't place her feet correctly because her skirt was too tight and she had to undo the laces up to mid-thigh to be able to actually do more than walk. She flatly refused Goku's offer to loan her some pants. Once the skirt issue was handled they went back to practicing the stances. Each time she would say she was ready he would push her and she'd teeter and almost fall.

"Iyame, how do you get through the day without falling on your face?"

"I can walk just fine, thank you very much." she replied with a slight edge of irritation in her voice.

"You're doing it wrong." came Gojyo's voice from the doorway.

The pair looked at him in irritation as he casually walked over and smirked. "It's like a dance and you need to be close to your partner. I'll show you an easier way."

He stepped up right behind Iyame and put one arm around her midsection. "Pay attention, both of you." he said before standing an inch or two behind her and using his legs to nudge hers into the right position. Once they were set he moved her arms until they were in the right place and then stepped away from her. "Give her a push, monkey."

Goku stepped over and pushed her lightly. She didn't move. He grinned and pushed her a bit harder and she still stayed upright.

She grinned back. "I got it." she said happily. "Thanks, Gojyo."

"Yeah thanks, kappa."

"Anytime kids. Now show her another one. The monk said we'll stay here for another day and take off tomorrow instead." he said as he sauntered away with a gleeful expression.

The pair grinned at each other before Goku stepped close to show her another stance.

----------

By the end of the afternoon Goku was cursing the kappa for ever suggesting such a technique for teaching. Sure, it worked very well, but it put him in such close proximity to her that it had rapidly become uncomfortable and doing it all day was wearing on his composure.

Kensi poked her head out the back door and called, "Time to clean up you two. Dinner will be ready soon."

"Thank you, Kensi-chan." Iyame said with a smile before twisting to look at Goku, who was once again flush against her and walking her through a kata. The movement brought her lips very close to his and they froze for a long moment before Goku stepped back, breathing hard.

"That's enough for today." he said. "Let's go inside."

She nodded slowly and reached to twine her fingers with his before he could get away. "Are you all right?" she asked quietly.

He tugged his hand free. "I'm fine. Just hungry." he told her before hurrying away to get cleaned up.

She watched him thoughtfully for a moment before slowly making her way inside for a nice cool shower. She was not immune to being so close to him all day either.

----------

During breakfast Sanzo suggested they practice summoning her weapon before they left so as soon as breakfast was finished they trooped back outside. Sanzo, Hakkai and Gojyo followed them out, curious what her weapon would be and how it would work within the group's fighting dynamic. Goku stood a few feet away facing her.

"We don't know what your primary weapon is but it will be the one you have the most natural skill with. To summon it you just think about the need to defend yourself and it will come to you. See?" he explained as he held out his hand and Nyoi-Boi appeared right in front of it.

She held out her hand and furrowed her brows in concentration. Goku tried to ignore thoughts about how cute she looked when she was concentrating and think only about the task at hand. Suddenly, a large black bow shimmered into existence and she took hold of it before it could tumble to the ground. They stared at it for a moment before Iyame smiled.

It was taller than she was with the grip about one third of the way from the bottom. The top curve was longer than the bottom so it had an asymmetrical, yet very graceful shape. The top and bottom curved back out and had small opalescent stones that sparkled on each end. Iyame reached to hold it with both hands and noticed she had a three finger glove on her right hand. She stopped to examine it for a moment before returning her attention to the bow. It was not too heavy and seemed to have the feel of a wise and respected friend.

"Hmm. I don't know anything about fighting with bows and stuff." Goku said in disappointment. "Where are the arrows?"

Iyame reached over her shoulder to see if there were any arrows hanging from her back and brought her hand forward with a satisfied smile. "They're on my back silly." she said as she held up a sparkling silver arrow.

Goku's eyes widened, "No, they're not. Where did that come from?"

Iyame turned so he could see her back and said as she grabbed a second one, "See? On my back."

"Oi! Iyame, there isn't anything on your back. You pulled that arrow out of thin air." Gojyo called as he stepped over with the others.

"Let me see one of those ya." Sanzo demanded.

She handed one over as she tried to look over her shoulder. She should be able to see the arrow shafts but didn't. She reached back to pull out a third one while watching and saw one sparkle into existence at the same moment she touched it. "That is a little unsettling."

"But kinda cool, don't you think? I bet that means you never run out or have to reload." Goku told her.

"Well, that would be useful." Hakkai said as he watched Sanzo study the arrow intently.

"Let me see the second one." Sanzo said as he returned the first ya. After another moment of study he looked down at Iyame. "These are blessed by the Gods. They can do anything you will them to do: explode, pierce, poison, burn, be made of specific materials or anything you can imagine. That makes up a little for the fact you'll have to shoot at a distance, but you're going to have to get better with your hand to hand since this won't help you in close contact."

"You should experiment with the haya and otoya and see if they have a preference." Hakkai suggested. He elaborated at Iyame's blank look. "Haya are the male arrows and otoya are the female. They are made with feathers from opposite sides of the bird and haya spin clockwise while otoya spin counter-clockwise. They represent male and female energies and may show preferences for particular methods."

Iyame studied the arrow thoughtfully as Sanzo gave it back. "Do you suppose I could make them heal too? You know, if you are poisoned, could I shoot you with the anti-venom?" she wondered idly.

Sanzo glared at her, "Who would want to get healed by being shot?"

"Who would rather die than get shot?" Iyame shrugged noncommittally as she considered testing it out on the monk one day. Perhaps if she could give it a soft tip that spread an energy field? If it did not work, she could always heal him the old fashioned way.

"Do you suppose her secondary weapon might be better suited for close quarters?" Hakkai asked.

"Perhaps. Let's see." Sanzo said before turning to her expectantly.

She looked at him blankly.

"Goku."

"What? Oh, sorry. Iyame, summoning your second weapon is similar to the first. You should put this one away first though by concentrating on returning it to its place." he explained.

Iyame concentrated for a long moment before the bow and arrows shimmered out of existence. Once it was gone she looked at Goku expectantly.

He concentrated for a moment before a sansekkon appeared in his hands. "See? It's nearly the same as calling your first weapon."

A moment later Iyame was curiously studying the pair of fans that had appeared in her hands. She flicked them open with a practiced motion to reveal maiohgi-gata style fans, or ones that were highly decorated but made with iron ribs instead of bamboo. She was delighted to see one had a picture of her and Goku together in their original forms on a gold and silver background and the other had the rest of the family sprawled out in a meadow. She looked up as the others started to laugh. Even Sanzo managed to crack a smile. "Something funny?" she asked with a light edge of sarcasm.

"That's tessen. It looks like you'll be learning Tessenjutsu without us." Hakkai chuckled.

"How will I do that?" she demanded.

"The skill to use your weapons is instinctive. If you meditate while you start learning it will come to you more quickly." Sanzo explained.

She looked at the fans thoughtfully for a moment before reaching out and swatting Goku and Gojyo in a lightening quick swipe. They stopped laughing. "Like that?" she asked innocently.

"That's worse than Sanzo's fan!" they cried.

"Really? Let me try." Sanzo demanded.

Iyame glared at him, "I think not. You keep your cute little paper fan. Only the fiercest warriors get to carry tessen. Less snickering, if you please." she said primly with a warning tap of one fan as they broke into snickers.

"I believe you'll find the tessen suites you, Iyame. It is more for self-defense and incapacitating your opponent rather than killing them outright." Hakkai offered.

"That does suit me." she replied with a smile.

Sanzo took one last vaguely amused look at the fans before speaking, "Load up. It's time to go."

Iyame let out a piercing whistle and they watched as the pair of cats came lumbering over a few minutes later. "Hello Virya, Dana. Did you have a nice rest and play with the little ones?" she asked as she scratched both of their cheeks.

The cats butted her shoulders before turning their attention to Goku. Virya knocked him down but Iyame could tell it was more to tease him than anything else. Goku gave him a dirty look as he stood back up and dusted himself off. He could have sworn the damn cat was laughing at him and he grumbled something to that effect. Iyame smiled and started strapping on Dana's pack. Goku came over and helped her and soon everyone was ready to head out.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

"Iyame, do you mind if I ask you a few questions about you and Goku?" Hakkai asked as they shopped.

"Not at all, Hakkai." she replied easily as she checked the fruit at the stand in front of them.

"Why did you call Sanzo his sun?"

"Oh, that is what he is. His guiding light, I guess you could say."

"What about you?"

"It is a bit of a paradox but I am like his earth. He is deeply rooted in me and I support him in all he reaches for. I am here to catch him if he falls."

"You two are a perfect balance between the elements, aren't you?"

She nodded, "Yes. He is Earth and Fire and I am Water and Air."

"Interesting. One would think you would embody the feminine elements while he the masculine." Hakkai murmured.

"But it would not be perfect balance if we did not have masculine and feminine energies in each of us."

"That's true." Hakkai said as he glanced down at his hands. She had noticed he did that quite often as was curious. He would also sometimes glance from his hands to Gojyo and back again.

"Hakkai, would you mind terribly if I ask what I am certain is a personal question?"

Hakkai smiled over at her, "Of course not. If I don't wish to answer, I hope you won't hold that against me."

"I do not believe I could ever hold something against you." she replied with a kind smile before turning serious. He returned the smile a bit cautiously and indicated she should ask her question. She reached over to take his hands and looked down at them curiously before turning her searching look to his eyes, "What do you see when you look at them? And why is it connected to our friend Gojyo?"

Hakkai looked back at her in surprise, "Didn't Goku tell you how we came to be travelling together?"

"No, he has not mentioned it and I did not think to ask."

"Ah. Well, I was not born a demon, Iyame. I became one. Do you know how that happens?"

She gripped his hands, "You spilled the blood of a thousand demons? But, Hakkai, you are the most gentle person I know. I know you kill in self defense, but a thousand is a mission, not an accident. What happened?"

He gave her that false smile she had come to hate, "They hurt Kanan and she died."

Iyame's face was etched with sorrow for her friend and she released his hands to wrap her arms around him in a tight hug. "I am sorry for your suffering."

"Don't be. I did terrible things because of it. Gojyo's hair and eyes are a reminder of the blood on my hands. They are the color . . . of admonishment."

She released him enough to frown up at him, "To think of a friend in such a way is a terrible thing."

He looked down at her, "It isn't as much anymore. Over the years it has become just a part of a dear friend. I still see the blood on my hands but he doesn't remind me of it as much."

She stepped back to inspect his hands thoroughly. "I see no blood on them. I see a lot of pain, but no blood."

"It's there, Iyame. Trust me."

"You have saved so many lives and if this mission succeeds you will save many more. I believe, in the greater picture, the scales of balance favor you."

"It's nice of you to say so, even though it's not true."

She ran her fingertips over his hands as she smiled at him, "One day, you will see yourself through my eyes and know that your hands are clean. If that is not enough, then you will look through Goku's and Gojyo's and even Sanzo's and you will see. No one sees you more clearly than your family."

He glanced away from her for a moment before pulling his false smile back on and looking at her. She glared at him in return. "You are aware that we can all see through that look, right?"

"I'm sure I don't know what you mean." he replied with a definite edge in his voice.

"I am certain that you do. We allow it because it seems to make you feel more comfortable, but know that we know it is just a mask. I'll stop prying now, Hakkai. Just remember that I only push because I worry about you."

"There is nothing to worry about, Iyame. I'm fine."

She gave him another quick hug before tugging him over to the meatbun stall, "I am hungry. I bet you are too. Let's get a snack."

His smile reached his eyes as he allowed her to tug him over to the stall and get them a snack. "Goku will be most upset that we got meatbuns without him."

"Well, if he ever learns to calm down, he can go shopping with us and get meatbuns as a reward too." she replied cheerfully after she handed him the snack.

Later that evening she and Gojyo were working on companionable silence to prepare dinner. He glanced at her several times before finally working up the nerve to ask the question that had been on his mind since the night he met her.

"Iyame, why aren't you afraid of the monster?" Gojyo asked.

She furrowed her brows, "I am not certain I understand your question. What monster?"

"The one that lives in Goku." he elaborated.

She looked at him blankly while the others wandered over to listen to the conversation. "Monster in Goku?"

"Seiten Taisei." Hakkai supplied.

Iyame frowned deeply at them, "Seiten is no monster. He is my mate and Goku's natural form."

"No, this is my natural form. He's a monster." Goku argued.

Iyame looked at him with such surprise it would have been comical had it not been for the subject matter. "You do not truly believe that, do you?" she asked as she set her implements to the side and turned her full attention to her family and the discussion at hand.

"Of course I do. This is me. That other side is someone else that doesn't belong. I've been trying to figure out how to get rid of him or cage him for good." he replied.

"Goku, you were born as Seiten Taisei and became Goku. The Gods tricked you into wearing the limiter and when they put it on it essentially split you in two."

"What do you mean?" Sanzo asked.

"When he was whole and himself he was not someone to be frightened of unless you crossed him. He was meant to protect the earth and bring harm only to those that harm it and its creatures. When the Gods put his limiter on it left loose the part that was meant to protect and serve but bound the power to effect change. He is not meant to be tame, he should be as wild and free as the secret places untouched by man."

"So the Gods divided him and bound the parts that didn't suit them with no thought to the effect it would have on their pet? How typical." Sanzo growled.

"Why doesn't it have that effect on you?" Hakkai asked curiously.

"I willingly allowed them to bind me." she replied softly.

"Why?" Gojyo demanded, certain he would never allow anyone to tame him in such a way.

"They threatened to leave me behind. I knew that something that traumatic would harm us irreparably. Aside from that, I am as the wind and water, able to slip through the tiniest cracks. Their binding worked because I allowed it and altered it to suit me."

"Why didn't Goku do that as well?" was Hakkai's response.

"It is not in the nature of earth or fire to bend to another's will. Even my influence cannot change that."

"Goku does what I tell him all of the time." Sanzo replied.

She lifted a brow, "Because he chooses to do so. Have you ever been able to get him to do something he truly does not wish to do?"

Sanzo considered that for several moments before slowly shaking his head in the negative.

"Exactly. Even now, in this less than whole state, no one can bend or break him. They made it more difficult for him, but were not able to change him. Once he is more comfortable around me, we can start taking his limiter off and healing his mind."

"What?! I'm not takin' my limiter off to get in touch with that thing." Goku replied, utterly appalled that she would even suggest such a thing.

"Goku, he is the missing part of you. You cannot lock half of yourself in a cage and expect to thrive."

"And I can't let it out to murder my family, either!" he retorted.

"When you trust that I will not allow that to happen, we will begin. Until then, I would like to continue getting to know you."

"I thought you already knew me?" he asked.

"You have had six hundred years away from me, there is much I do not know." She reached out and ran her thumb under his eye, "There is much sadness in your eyes that wasn't there before."

"Five hundred years in a cave will do that to a person." he replied softly.

She leaned forward and brushed a soft kiss across his cheek before smiling gently and returning to dinner preparations. The others drifted off and left the pair alone. Goku reached over and stilled her movement with a hand on hers.

"I missed you more than I missed the Sun." he said quietly before reaching out to cup her cheek in a gesture he had often used when they were small and she was upset. "I just didn't know what I was missing."

She nuzzled into his palm with a soft smile. "I love you." she told him quietly.

His golden eyes widened slightly as he caught a glimpse of her telling him that once before. Only that time she had had a nightmare and woken them both up with her screaming. He had wrapped his arms around her and rocked her while she sat in his lap until she had stopped crying. They had been quite young at the time. Iyame had looked up at him with tears still in her eyes and he had wiped them away for her before cupping her cheek as he was now. She had nuzzled and smiled just the same before telling him that time as well.

"Iyame-" he began, uncertain what to say.

She reached out to mirror his gesture but brushed her thumb over his lips, "You don't have to say anything, my love."

He relaxed and nuzzled her palm in return. "I care about you, and I'm pretty sure I love you."

"Then that is all that matters. Would you like to help me finish making dinner?"

"Sure."

----------

"Iyame, I have a question about the Pancha Mahabhuta." Hakkai said as they settled into a circle to begin their first meditation.

"Yes?"

"We represent the five elements. You would be vayu, Goku would be bhumi, and Gojyo would be ap. Which are Sanzo and I?"

She smiled at them, "Would anyone like to guess?"

"Sanzo is agni." came Goku's prompt and certain response.

Hakkai chuckled nervously, "Why would you say that?"

"He is the sun, the sun is fire. He is agni. Iyame?"

"You are correct."

"I can't be akasha." Hakkai said.

"Of course you are. You are at the center of our circle and hold us all together. The sound of your voice is enough to spur us to battle or put us back in our place."

They allowed him a moment to process that bombshell, all the while thinking it should not have been the surprise it was. When he looked down at his hands in shame Iyame took his chin and raised his eyes to her. "Stop that."

He looked at her in consternation before shaking his head. Iyame sighed before speaking, "Do you want to have this out in front of everyone or over there where it's reasonably private?"

Gojyo and Goku answered for him by placing their hands firmly on his arms and holding him in place.

"He'll do it here." Gojyo answered for his friend.

"I'll start. Hakkai, you have saved far more lives than you have taken, in this lifetime and all of the others." Iyame told him.

"Knowledge is the center of any circle and you are our teacher and always have been." Goku said firmly.

"Hey, man, you know I've always accepted you as you are." said Gojyo.

The three looked expectantly at Sanzo who glared at them all before turning his violet gaze to Hakkai, "You're the only one here I can stand. The blood was washed from you hands years ago."

Hakkai chuckled nervously as he looked at each of them in turn. There was no room for argument in any of their gazes so he turned his attention to Iyame. "We were going to meditate?"

The corners of her mouth lifted slightly as she nodded, "Have any of you aside from Sanzo meditated before?"

Goku and Gojyo shook their heads while Hakkai nodded slowly. "You two, go over there and meditate together. See if you can find each other on your own."

Sanzo gave her a dirty look as he stood and moved away with Hakkai. They settled down near each other and closed their eyes as they deepened their breathing. Iyame turned to Gojyo and Goku and arranged the three of them in a tight triangle.

When Gojyo and Goku's knees touched Gojyo pushed him over, "Not so close, monkey."

Goku pushed him back, "I don't want to sit next to you either."

Iyame watched them squabble for a moment before pulling them apart, "Get on opposite sides of me, please. Now focus on you breathing and clear your mind."

An hour later she was breathing hard and irritation was clear in her eyes. "Would you two please settle down? You'll never get into a meditative state if you keep wiggling and bickering. Stay here and keep practicing. I'm going over to join Sanzo and Hakkai. Behave yourselves."

Meanwhile, across the way Sanzo and Hakkai were already deep in their meditative states and trying to figure out how to find each other.

_Sanzo looked around and found himself in a nice house. He wandered around, curious where this might be, and heard voices from upstairs. He followed them and found a couple standing in a nursery and smiling down at a young boy with bright blond hair and violet eyes._

"_Sleep well, Kazuki." the woman said softly. She had soft red hair and lavender eyes just like his._

_The man had bright blond hair and deep green eyes and ran a hand down the toddler's head while smiling down at him, "Be a good boy now and take a nap."_

_The boy settled down as the couple stood beside the bed, holding hands. Once he appeared to be asleep they left the room and Sanzo moved closer to the bed to study the child. He looked just like he did at that age._ Damn. I'm stuck in an old memory. How useless._ he thought before he heard what could only be Iyame's voice coming up the stairs. She was singing softly as she entered the room and the boy's eyes cracked open as she entered the room. He gave her a happy smile as she walked over and rested a hand on his head._

"_Shouldn't you be asleep, young man?" she asked quietly._

"_I didn't want to go to sleep until you said good night too." he replied in a stage whisper._

_Iyame knelt beside the bed and brushed a kiss across his forehead, "Good night, Konzen."_

_He giggled at the name, "Good night, Yochi. Where's Virya and Dana?"_

_They looked over at the window as a deep rumble came through it. The two tigers peeked through and Sanzo watched as the boy jumped out of bed to reach through the window and pet them. Once he had a chance to scratch their large ears Iyame dragged him away from the window and back to bed, "Time for young men to get some sleep."_

_He snuggled into bed and settled into sleep as she sang softly to him._

Suddenly, everything disappeared and Sanzo looked around to see Hakkai and Iyame next to him. They were sitting on the same steps that were painted on his fan. "Did you do this?"

Iyame smiled, "Yes. I pulled you to me instead of trying to find you separately. Were you able to find each other?"

They shook their heads and she rested her hands on their chests, "It will take some practice. This should help you, though."

They looked down and saw four ropes of bright light coming out of their chests. Sanzo studied the ones that connected him to Iyame and Hakkai. The ones coming from Hakkai were so white it hurt his eyes while Iyame's were the blue of the sky on a perfect day. He looked down and his were the red-orange of a camp fire. He followed one to Hakkai and saw the red-orange softened as it moved closer to Hakkai and blended with his white. The one connecting him to Iyame blended into the colors of sunset on a partly cloudy day. He turned his head and followed the ropes between him, Goku, and Gojyo. He could see where the rope terminated, at the spot the other two were sitting, even though he couldn't see them at all. Remembering that Goku was bhumi, he decided the deep brown was the monkey and the turquoise of the ocean he had once seen was Gojyo. There was a thick rope between Goku and Iyame and he studied it for a long time before looking at her.

"Why is the connection between you and Goku different from the rest?" he asked.

"They are perfect balance and mates." Hakkai supplied.

She nodded, "Correct. You can use these connections to find each other at any time and in any place. You will not be able to get to the other physically, but you will be able to communicate to a limited extent and perhaps see something that will help you find them."

"So, what would happen if I were to walk over to Goku and Gojyo like this?" Hakkai asked, seeking answers as always.

"Try it and find out." Iyame invited.

Sanzo lifted a brow and lit a cigarette, but did not stand. Hakkai moved to his feet and Iyame followed as he walked over to them. When they reached the point where the ropes ended, Hakkai knelt and studied the spot. He thought about Gojyo and suddenly he could see the kappa sitting in front of him. "Gojyo?"

The water sprite's eyes snapped open and he looked around, "Hakkai. What happened? I was thinking about the beautiful girl I met at the last town and now she's gone and you three are here."

Iyame huffed a little when he admitted that he hadn't been doing as he was supposed to but she let it go and explained the connections to him. When she was done he considered it for a moment before nodding. "All right. May I get back to my fantasy now?"

Hakkai chuckled a little and Iyame shook her head, "Yes. You have seen what you need to know."

"We need to get on the road." Sanzo said as he watched the connection with Goku moving around. "The monkey isn't ready yet. He's bouncing all over."

She reached towards the end of the light and it stopped moving for a moment before resuming and heading for where her physical body was seated.

Iyame nodded and the three slowly brought themselves out of the meditative state they had been in. When she opened her eyes the first thing she saw was Goku's face inches from her own. "I felt somethin'."

"What?" she asked, confused by the statement.

"A few minutes ago I was over there next to Gojyo and I felt a hand on my chest." he explained.

"I didn't know you would be able to feel that if you weren't with us." she replied quietly.

"I thought it was you." he replied easily before pulling her to her feet and turning to Sanzo. "You okay?"

Sanzo glared at him, "Why would you ask that?"

"You look annoyed about somethin'." Goku replied.

"Che, he always looks annoyed about something, how is now any different?" Gojyo asked.

Goku shrugged, "He just seems more annoyed than usual."

Iyame looked at him curiously, "Maybe he saw something he didn't like."

Sanzo turned away and lit a cigarette before getting in the jeep and pointedly ignoring the rest of them. The group exchanged glances before shrugging it off and getting ready to leave.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

The group was once again on the road when a sudden explosion rocked the jeep and they found themselves sprawled unceremoniously on the ground. A white haired demon stood on top of a nearby boulder, laughing down at them.

"Sanzo party, hand over the scripture."

Gojyo and Goku rolled their eyes before jumping into the group of youkai. Hakkai and Sanzo stood with their backs to each other and started taking out demons while Iyame leapt up onto an outcropping of rocks so she had a higher view of the fight and could fire arrows easily.

Sanzo ducked and ran from a small group of youkai that went after him. He got two of them with his last bullets and ducked behind a tree to reload. He finished and stepped out from behind the tree only to get caught by the claws of the last demon. He shot him and looked down to see blood flowing freely from his sides. _Damn._ He looked around and saw he was a distance from the others before shrugging and continuing to shoot demons as they came at him. The world started to darken and blur at the edges but he willed himself to stand and keep fighting. He shot a few more demons in quick succession before the world tilted dangerously.

Suddenly, he got slammed in the back so hard he nearly lost his balance. He spun around to face his attacker only to see Iyame grin at him. He snarled, "What the fuck do you think you're doing?"

"I could have shot you instead. Quite complaining." she replied flatly before shooting a youkai that was sneaking up behind him.

He snarled incoherently and returned to the fight. A quick glance down showed he was no longer bleeding, though his robes were covered with blood. He made his way over to the others as they finished off the last of the demons. Even the cats had gotten in on the fight. Sanzo turned his attention to the leader, "Where did you get such a large force?"

"I serve Lord Kougaiji." he replied smugly.

"Not anymore." Sanzo replied before shooting him.

----------

They made it into town and Iyame volunteered to do the shopping so Hakkai could rest. "I think you have a touch of something, Hakkai. Get some rest so it doesn't take hold."

He finally relented and agreed to let her do the shopping. They made a list and Iyame stepped to the door with the admonishment to keep it down so Hakkai could rest. Goku and Gojyo stopped bickering long enough to nod at her before returning to their argument.

"Pick me up some smokes and a lighter while you're out." Sanzo demanded.

"Already on the list." she replied before closing the door behind her.

Goku returned his attention to Gojyo and continued their argument before suddenly getting thwacked on the head with the fan. "Shut up! If you two want to make noise, go outside."

Gojyo sniffed and lit a cigarette, "I'm going to find some more attractive company."

"Just be quiet." Sanzo snarled.

Goku looked between them for a moment before deciding he'd rather hang out with Iyame and headed out the door to find her. He had no trouble being around her as long as he didn't have to touch her. Every time he did he started thinking thoughts he was certain would get him into trouble. He wandered around town checking out restaurants and stalls and stopped as one stall in particular caught his attention. He glanced around as he heard the stall owner inhale sharply and grinned when he saw Dana looking down at him. "Hi, Dana. Don't worry, she won't hurt you."

The salesman remained tense while the tiger butted Goku's shoulder before looking at the items in the stall then turning her attention to the monkey questioningly. "I thought Iyame might like something."

They looked over the selection and Goku pointed out possible choices for Dana to consider. She kept shaking her head and sniffing the dolls. Goku finally frowned at her, "Dana, she's too old for a doll."

He frowned when the tiger looked at him like he was an idiot and returned her attention to the dolls, then the small selection of stuffed baby animals, and then him. "She wants a baby animal?"

She continued for a few minutes and he sighed in frustration, "Why don't you just tell me what you mean? You and Iyame have whole conversations."

They stared into each other's eyes for several moments before Goku clearly heard something in his mind, _Baby_. He frowned and looked around before returning his gaze to the tiger, "Well?"

Again, he heard it. _Baby_. "Is that you saying baby?"

Dana butted his shoulder again and yawned.

"She wants a baby?" he asked as unease permeated his being. "That's not gonna happen anytime soon."

Dana glared at him before returning her attention to the stall and the jewelry display. He pointed out a couple of items before a necklace in another case caught his eye. It had a black velvet ribbon and dangling from the middle was a small silver fan with a red flower on it. "That's pretty. It reminds me of the picture of us in heaven on Sanzo's fan. Do you think she'd like it?"

Dana butted his shoulder again and he turned to the vendor. "I want that one."

Money changed hands and Goku realized he'd need to convince Sanzo to stop somewhere for a few days so he could work and get a little extra money for himself. Of course, the monk didn't need to know that part. Just that they should have a little break and rest for Hakuryuu.

Once done, he walked with Dana until Virya caught up with them. He and the male tiger eyed each other suspiciously for a moment before turning their attention to other things. Goku always got the distinct impression the tiger wasn't especially fond of him but had no idea why. "Do you know where Iyame's shopping?"

Virya looked at him imperiously for a moment before turning left at the next intersection. He and Dana followed him until Goku caught sight of her walking past a bar. _She is beautiful._ It was always the same. Whenever he saw her, he wanted to sweep her up in his arms and keep her safe from everyone. He heard a very low rumble from Virya and glanced at him. The tiger's eyes were fixed on Iyame and the man that had stepped out of the bar and over to her. Goku couldn't quite make out what they were saying over the babble of voices but when the man leaned close to her he felt his insides twist with jealousy. It was a new feeling and he didn't much like it. Something primal within him rose up and he wanted to rip the other man's throat out for daring to get that close to her.

Shocked, Goku shook the thoughts off and watched as she held up a single finger. She spoke and the man hurried off, looking pale and uneasy. He hurried over to her, "What just happened?"

"Nothing." she replied easily with a bright smile for him.

"Then why did he look so upset?"

"He made an offer and didn't like my counter."

"What counter?"

"That he go away before something he holds dear is removed from his possession."

He frowned, "What the heck does that mean?"

"That he tried to pick her up and she threatened to make part of him rot and fall off." Gojyo replied as he stepped out of the bar and draped an arm around her shoulders, ignoring Goku's twitch as he did so. "I was watching in case he tried to make trouble."

"Thank you, Taisho." she replied before realizing her error, "I'm sorry. Gojyo. You're the hardest to remember because I used your name the most. We were such good friends." Her grin widened, "Sometimes I want to buy a black jacket and slacks so you'll look like you're supposed to."

"It's all right, pretty lady. Now, are you finished with the shopping yet?" he responded easily.

Goku mentally shook himself. It was bugging him way too much. He knew there wasn't anything between Iyame and the kappa. He just couldn't help himself. If there was a girl in the vicinity he had to flirt with her. He reached out and twined his fingers with Iyame's before he could stop himself. She looked at him in surprise before smiling shyly.

"Are you guys hungry?" she asked happily.

Goku couldn't help but smile at her as he tugged them down the street, "Yeah. There's a meatbun stall right over here that smells delicious."

Iyame ordered several meatbuns and distributed them between the people and tigers and they all sat in the shade of a tree to eat them. When Gojyo and Goku tried to sneak more out of the bag and started fighting she rolled her eyes at the pair and got out of the way. "Why do you two spend so much time fighting over food? Neither of you appear to be starved."

They stopped fighting long enough to shrug before going back to bickering.

Goku felt her watching them for a few more minutes before she cleared her throat. "There's something I have been meaning to speak with you two about."

They two stopped bickering again to look at her curiously. "It's about our rooms. I have noticed that Hakkai and I spend all of our time in town shopping and cleaning up after the three of you. We would appreciate it if you would clean up after yourselves from now on."

Goku looked at her in surprise. "I'm not messy."

Her brows lifted in response to that, "You do not agree?"

He shook his head, "I'm not the slob. It's Gojyo. He leaves cigarette butts and ashes everywhere. Even in cups I'm still drinking out of."

Gojyo made a sound of outrage and smacked Goku in the head, "I'm not the messy one. It's you, you stupid monkey."

Iyame glared at them, "Would you like me to list everything I picked up last time and who it belonged to? I know exactly who the mess makers are and what messes they make."

"It's not me." Goku continued to argue.

He watched as her glare deepened and she starting listing all kinds of stuff and who it belonged to, including her and Hakkai's stuff. Their list was shorter together than his own or Gojyo's or Sanzo's.

Once she stopped Gojyo grinned up at her, "So why aren't you bugging the monk too?"

A sneaky look entered her eyes as she answered, "First I have to take care of you two because then he will not be able to argue at all."

"Does Hakkai know you're having this little talk with us?"

"No, but I'm sure he will appreciate the results."

"And if there are no results?"

"You will not enjoy that very much."

The two exchanged nervous looks at her tone before nodding cautiously. "We'll see what we can do."

"See that you do. We should return. I'm worried about Hakkai."

"Is something wrong with him?" Goku asked.

"I believe he is weary. This has not been an easy journey for any of you. Perhaps your newfound neatness will help him feel better."

Knowing when they were boxed in the two got to their feet, "Maybe we should go back so we can start cleaning."

"That is an excellent idea."

"Iyame?"

"Yes, Goku?"

"Do you think you could convince Sanzo to stay a few days so Hakkai can rest?"

"I will try." She glanced at the sky. "We should get moving. It's going to rain."

----------

It was raining and Sanzo was brooding. The rest knew enough to stay clear but Iyame wanted to know what was troubling him. She went into the room and settled herself in a nearby chair while he sat on the bed and stared out the window at the rain. He ignored her for a time but eventually got annoyed by her not leaving and glared at her.

She allowed him to glare at her for a moment before speaking. "What is it about the rain that troubles you so, Kazuki?"

"Don't call me that."

"It is your name. Why should it not be used?"

"It's not my name."

"Then what is?"

"Sanzo."

"No, that is your title. What is your name?"

He gave her a dark look before replying, "Koryuu."

She tilted her head thoughtfully for a long moment before nodding, "Very well. Koryuu, what about the rain troubles you so?"

"Why should I tell you?"

"Perhaps because you know it is neither wise nor healthy to allow yourself to become so upset by something you have no control."

"And why would I confide in you instead of one of the others?"

"Perhaps I can help ease your suffering where they cannot."

"Can you bring the long dead to life?"

"Not literally, but if you speak of them it brings them back for a time. Tell me a story."

"No. Leave me alone."

"Please? I'll begin it for you. Once there was a boy who accepted the rain for what it was and found neither joy nor sorrow in it. He was only a baby, after all, and rain meant nothing to him either way as long as his parents or nanny kept him dry. His family was not rich, but his father owned a thriving business with his uncle. Things went well for several years and the baby grew into a healthy and well-loved little boy.

"One day, Uncle fell into debt with a terrible man and decided the only way to get out of it was to give him the business he and Father had worked so hard to grow. Naturally, Father was against the idea and Uncle lashed out at him in rage and desperation when he said no. Father fell against his desk and his head hit the corner. Sadly, he did not survive the injury. Uncle looked down at what he had done as Mother walked in to see what the commotion was. Uncle panicked and tried to push her out of the room before she could see. She tripped and fell down the stairs, not surviving her injuries either.

"The boy heard Mother's cry and ran to see what happened. He tried to wake her up and did not see Uncle's approach until he had been swept up into Uncle's embrace. He cried and tried to explain that Mother wouldn't wake up. Uncle told him everything would be all right and started walking. The next thing the boy knew he was sailing through the air and landed in the river with a cold splash. He traveled down the river for an unknown amount of time before someone heard his voice and rescued him." she paused for a moment and looked him in the eye, "How am I doing so far?"

Sanzo's eyes were locked onto her and he took a moment to gather his thoughts. "Where was the nanny when this was happening?"

"She had gone a few towns over to pick up a special order gift Father had ordered. By the time she got back and saw what happened, it was too late to fix. Instead, she found Uncle and made him tell her a story."

"Did he survive?"

She shrugged, "Technically. There _are_ fates worse than death and she had no problem employing them for harming her family. What happened to the boy next?"

Sanzo sighed, "He was found by Koumyo Sanzo Houshi and taken to Kinzan Temple where Master raised him until he died."

It was Iyame's turn to stare at him, "Koumyo Sanzo raised you?"

"Yes."

Iyame tilted her head as she studied him thoughtfully, "I heard it was raining when he passed . . . and that his successor was there when it happened."

Sanzo's eyes told her everything she needed to know about that and she reached out and placed a soft hand on his for a brief moment.

"I am sorry that you had to see such a thing, but I believe Koumyo would want you to embrace the beauty of the rain rather than dwell on harmful memories. He would also prefer you remember his life and not his death."

"How would you know?"

"I lived in the temple for a few months. I was very ill and he came across us one day. He showed no fear of Dana and Virya and was permitted to examine me. They brought me to the temple and nursed me back to health. I stayed for a while and we spoke often. He was a very wise man."

"Why did you leave?"

"I had to find Goku, but found you instead."

Sanzo smoked quietly for several minutes before speaking quietly, "I remember you."

She tilted her head in curiosity, "What do you remember?"

"The song you sing when you paint your fans."

She gave a half smile, "I would sing you to sleep with that song."

"I know. It was annoying. Still is."

"Of course. I'm glad it was Koumyo that found you." she replied as she stood and brushed her fingers through his hair. "We should stay a few days so Hakkai can rest. I'm very worried about him."

"Fine." Sanzo glared at her retreating back for a moment before returning his attention to the window and the rain. The sound of her humming drifted through the open door and his glare deepened.

Later that afternoon Goku grinned as he hooked the necklace around Iyame's neck. "Thank you for making sure we'll be here for a few days."

She smiled at the pendant before brushing a kiss across his cheek. "What will you do while we're here?"

He shrugged, "I don't know. I'm sure I'll find something to entertain myself. What about you?"

"Same as usual. Sell fans and heal people."

"It was really nice for the shop owner to let us have our rooms for free. Does that happen a lot?"

She nodded, "In the places I visit often."

----------

Iyame was working on her fans when Goku wandered over to watch. He saw a stack of loose paper with sketches on them and considered them for a moment before looking at Iyame, "Is it okay if I look at these?"

"Of course, Goku." she replied with a quick smile before returning to her task.

He picked up the stack and started to slowly flip through them. Some were landscapes, nice but nothing he didn't see every day, others were people he didn't know and didn't look too interesting. About halfway through the stack he came across a sketch of himself, arms flung out in sleep and a pleased expression on his face. Another showed him bathing naked in a lake with an inviting expression he was certain he'd never had. It was very potent and sexual and made him blush to look at it.

"Iyame, where did you see that?" he stuttered.

She glanced over at the picture then at him, "I imagine that's how you'll look at me one day when you're more comfortable with our relationship."

"But, it's like – I mean – Just . . . sheesh."

She glanced up at his face and smiled, "One day, you'll think differently about it. Keep looking, you're bound to find some you like."

Goku returned his attention to the stack of papers and kept flipping through them. There were so many of him that it made him blush to think how much time she spent thinking about him and his body. He paused now and then as he saw pictures of his friends – Hakkai reading a book with Hakuryuu perched on his shoulder, Gojyo smiling charmingly at what could only be a pretty girl just outside the picture frame, Sanzo always looking pissed off about something. The last sketch caught his attention and held it for long minutes before he realized Iyame was sitting there watching him.

"What's this one?"

It showed Sanzo sitting on the floor with Goku sitting facing him. Sanzo was bent over him and holding onto him with a level of desperation Goku was certain the monk had never shown him.

"That was the happy ending to a very bad day." she replied quietly.

"What happened? He looks so worried and relieved and I look like I don't really understand why."

"Well, when we got to heaven you would explore a lot while I studied with Hakkai. You didn't mind learning, but you could only study for so long in a day and then you had to be out and about. You found your way to the Jade Emperor's chambers once and accidentally knocked over a very powerful relic. He was, as you can imagine, outraged that Douji's new pet had destroyed something so powerful and was in his chambers without permission. He was going to banish you from heaven, but keep me up there to punish you further.

"We were in the plaza outside his office, it was sunny and the air smelled of flowers. I tried to run to you but Taisho grabbed hold of me and wouldn't let go. Douji and Gensui were trying to talk the Emperor into not banishing you or letting me go with you if he did but he wouldn't listen. I was screaming and crying and almost a dozen guards were holding you down so you couldn't get to me either. Finally, when plants started dying and people started collapsing Merciful Goddess arrived and smoothed things over.

"I was crying so hard that Taisho had cradled me against his chest so for a few moments I lost track of what was going on. When I looked back you were sitting there in front of Douji and he was holding onto you like he would never let go. Gensui walked over and told us that Goku would be permitted to stay and they walked me over to you two. I struggled out of Taisho's arms and wrapped them around you from the other side, crying because I was so glad we would be able to stay together without my needing to harm anyone."

"Jeez, monkey, only you wouldn't even be able to behave yourself in heaven." Gojyo joked from behind them.

Goku looked up to see that the others were seated around them and had been listening to the story. Sanzo looked more annoyed than usual and Goku guessed it was because Iyame had told everyone that he had worried about him in public.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Once Goku was secured behind her on Virya, and they were moving west, Iyame twisted so she could see his face. "Goku?"

"Hmm?" he asked absently. He was busy concentrating on ignoring her nearness and did not give her his full attention.

"Goku?" she said again with a small tap to his hands.

His eyes finally focused on her completely. "Yeah?"

"Why are you so uncomfortable around me? Why do you avoid anything but casual contact with me?" she asked quietly.

"I'm not uncomfortable and I don't avoid contact with you. I'm touchin' you right now." he argued.

She looked at him uncertainly, "If you are not uncomfortable then why do you always step away when we get close except when we sleep?"

Goku looked away for a moment before returning his gaze to hers, "I'm not really comfortable with that kind of stuff yet. I know it's serious and I don't want to walk into it lightly."

"I do not understand."

"I know that I've known you for a long time but I don't remember you very well. Sometimes I get flashes in my dreams, but mostly I feel like I've only known you for a month. I can't do . . . that stuff . . . with someone I don't know very well." he explained a little awkwardly.

"But you can hardly stand to be close to me at all anymore. You've started riding in the jeep every other day and when you ride with me you do not really talk to me. You barely touch me when you are teaching me. I feel like you just want to be away from me."

"That's not it. I'm just- I don't know." he said in frustration. "Can we talk about this later?"

She looked thoughtfully at him before nodding slowly. "As you wish."

"Okay."

She gave him one last searching look before turning back to face the front.

Gojyo looked up in time to see her troubled look before she cleared it away and put on the cheerful mask she seemed to be wearing more and more often. It sometimes reminded him eerily of Hakkai. A look happy and no one will ask you too many questions sort of thing.

"Looks like there's trouble in paradise." he said quietly to Hakkai.

"What do you mean?" his friend asked.

"I'm not sure yet, but I know something's not right over there."

"Perhaps we shouldn't interfere."

"Che, what are friends for if not interfering when you're doing something stupid?"

"What makes you think someone is doing something stupid?" Hakkai queried.

"Easy. Iyame's hiding her reactions from him. I'll find out what it is tonight." he said with an air of certainty and expectation.

"Just remember the person in the middle usually gets caught in the crossfire." Hakkai reminded him.

"What can those two possibly do to me?" he asked flippantly as he began to plot.

----------

At dinner that night, he sat next to Iyame while he helped her prep the food. "Are you all right?"

She smiled over at him, "I'm fine, Gojyo. Why do you ask?"

He studied her closely before reaching over and brushing a fingertip under her eye, "You mask is wearing a bit thin right there."

She sighed very softly, "It is nothing."

"If it was nothing you wouldn't be wearing it in the first place."

"Perhaps. Does it really matter one way or the other?" she asked.

"Of course it does. We're your friends too, not just Goku's. If you need someone to talk to, any of us would be happy to help."

"I cannot get between Goku and his friends and it would not be right for me to do so. People invariably feel the need to choose sides and that could tear apart our family."

"But we were your friends too before, weren't we?"

"You were."

"So why can't we be again?"

"You are."

"Then let us help you."

"There is nothing to help."

He reached over and snagged the tear that had snuck past her guard and held it up for her to see, "That's not true."

"Excuse me." she said quickly as she hurried away.

Gojyo looked at her retreating form in surprise for a moment before taking off after her.

The other three looked up in surprise as they saw the pair run off and Sanzo's and Hakkai's surprise only increased when they saw Goku did not get up to go after her.

"Goku, would you please help me finish cooking dinner?" Hakkai asked.

The monkey absently nodded his head before standing slowly and following Hakkai.

Gojyo caught up to her not too far from camp and stopped her with a hand on her arm. "Iyame. Talk to me."

She shook him off. "There's nothing to talk about. My mate cannot stand to be near me. I should not be traveling with you. I can follow behind and cause him less discomfort. I can cause myself less discomfort as well." She snapped as Dana wandered over to check on her. "No! I cannot deal with this for another day, Dana. He's driving me insane." she shouted.

The three back at the camp looked up as they heard her shouting. The two demons could understand every word, and Sanzo was able to get the gist of it.

"Goku, perhaps you should talk to her?" Hakkai suggested kindly.

He mutely shook his head as he watched Gojyo reach for her again as he spoke, "Iyame, what are you talking about? Anyone can see he adores you."

"He has been riding in the jeep more often and unease radiates off of him every time we are within a few feet of each other. He is trapped and does not love me as he did before." she said before bursting into tears of hurt and frustration.

"Che, don't cry. Please? I hate seeing beautiful women cry." he said as he pulled her into a gentle hug. He sighed. It looked like he was going to have to take one for the team. He discreetly checked to make sure Goku was still paying attention before pulling a little away from her. "Don't cry, Iyame. It's not fair."

She sniffled a little as she looked up at him, "What do you mean?"

"I really can't stand seeing beautiful women crying. It makes me want to kiss away their tears." he replied clearly before leaning his head down.

Iyame stared up at him in disbelief as he lowered his face to hers and his lips brushed against her . . . cheek? Before she could recover herself enough to demand answers for his strange behavior he went flying and her stunned eyes found Goku standing right in front of her.

He glared fiercely at her for a moment before pulling her body roughly against his and pressing his lips to hers in a bruising kiss. He pulled away a few minutes later and growled, "Mine."

She blinked at him in surprise before finding her voice, "Always."

As the almost feral anger cleared from his eyes he looked down at her in concern, "Are you okay, Iyame?"

She shrugged noncommittally. "I still walk this earth so I do not have anything to complain about."

Goku frowned at her, "That's bullshit. Tell me the truth."

"What do you want me to say, Goku? The more distant you remain the more alone I feel? That every time you turn away from me it makes me want to curl up and die? The more you refuse to treat me as your mate the more it makes me wish I had not found you? How helpful is that? Does it change anything? Does it make anyone feel better? No! So what do you want from me?" she demanded as tears started coursing down her cheeks once more.

"Iyame-" was as far as he got before a shout from Hakkai drew their attention to the hoard of youkai that was descending on their camp. He turned and pulled her close for a quick kiss. When he pulled away a moment later he looked steadily into her eyes as he spoke, "I love you. We'll talk about this later."

She nodded as he took off to help with the fight. She leapt up into a nearby tree and summoned her yumi. Explosive arrows flew in quick succession at the youkai that were furthest away from the other members of the group. She kept a steady eye on her family and thinned the crowd when it became too much around any single individual. As they fell into the rhythm of the fight the others would call to her periodically if they spotted a problem. As youkai continued to pour into the clearing Iyame yearned for more speed and finally tore off her limiter so she could use the full power of her reflexes. Shots rained down as she fired as quickly as possible while maintaining near perfect accuracy.

The leader of the youkai spotted her up in the tree and immediately sent some troops to get her down. She picked them off one by one until he had to send reinforcements. They swarmed the tree and a piercing whistle sounded as she called for help. Virya immediately swiped the enemies he had been working on to the side and made for the tree his daughter was in. He was too late though and one of the youkai made it up to the branch she was on. In the struggle she fell out of the tree and let out a piercing scream before landing with a thud.

Goku looked up as he heard the scream and watched helplessly as she fell. He watched anxiously for her to get back up and when she didn't he started to panic. He viciously killed any youkai that got in his way as he moved towards her and saw the others, including both cats, working that direction as well. He finally got close enough to see her and the youkai that was leaning over her, grinning gleefully as he took a swipe at her unmoving form with his talons. As blood splattered, Goku let out a howl of rage and grief that stopped anyone within hearing distance in their tracks.

He ripped his limiter off as the others watched in shocked horror. They redoubled their efforts to get to Iyame before further harm befell her as Goku's eyes took on a decidedly feral gleam. Virya responded to the cry of his other charge by leaping over the slightly disoriented youkai and raking his claws across the one that had dared injure his charge. He flicked the pieces away before taking a protective stance over her still form and destroying any that came within reach of his deadly claws.

Goku – now Seiten Taisei – saw this and turned his attention to the rest of the youkai. He knew his mate would be safe while he took care of the others that dared think they could lay a hand on her. Battle light filled his eyes and he licked his lips in anticipation of the blood that soon would be shed.

The other three had managed to battle their way to each other and started moving towards Iyame so Hakkai could heal her if her wounds were serious. Their way was eased by the speed in which Goku took care of the enemy. Hakkai thanked all the gods in heaven that he had decided to spend some time getting to know Virya because the cat wouldn't let any of the others near Iyame. He checked her over while Sanzo and Gojyo kept the stragglers away from them. Her wounds were deep and she had lost a lot of blood, but he healed them as best he could. She had a lump on the back of her head, probably from the rock she had landed on if the blood was anything to go by.

He looked up at the cat, "I've done what I can. She should be fine after some rest."

The cat nodded before returning his attention to the fight, or rather game, that was playing out before them. Seiten Taisei was playing with the few youkai that were left. The three started discussing how to get the limiter, which Gojyo had picked up on the way over to Iyame, back on Goku's head.

"It's not like we can just walk up to him and put it back on. Can you wake Iyame up?" Gojyo asked Hakkai.

"I don't think so. She didn't wake up after I healed her, so she must need something else." he responded.

Seiten dropped the last youkai and decided it was time to check on his mate. He turned and saw three standing entirely too close her and headed over before they could harm her.

"Shit." was all Gojyo got out before Goku buried his fist in his stomach and he dropped like a stone.

"Guess he's not in the mood to play with us." Sanzo observed dryly before getting ready to call on his sutra's power to bind Goku. He didn't have a chance because Goku darted around them so quickly he and Hakkai couldn't keep him in sight long enough to do anything.

Meanwhile blue eyes blinked open and looked around curiously. She saw dead bodies everywhere and her clothes were covered in blood. _Am I in a battlefield? How did I get here? _She looked up and saw a giant blue tiger standing over her and panicked. She scrambled out from under it and stopped abruptly as the world started spinning from the sudden movement. She let out a very quiet moan, but it was loud enough to stop Seiten Taisei in his tracks.

He looked over and saw the blood on his mate's clothes and decided playtime was over. He needed to know she was all right. He moved to swipe viciously at the pair still standing but was knocked over from behind. He turned and saw the other cat standing between him and the others, protecting them. He looked at her curiously before shrugging and running over to his mate. He came to an abrupt halt in front of Yochi and, in her fear, she almost fell over backwards trying to escape.

He reached out with gentle hands and steadied her on her feet. He did not understand why his mate was scared, but he could very clearly hear her heart beating wildly and smell fear pouring off her. He swung her into his arms, cradling her close, and took off before anyone could react.

Hakkai watched them go before kneeling next to Gojyo and healing his wound.

"We need to follow them and get him under control." Sanzo stated angrily. He couldn't believe the monkey had done something so foolish, yet again. He pulled out his gun and was abruptly knocked over. He glared up to see one of the cats resting its very large foot on his chest.

"What the hell is your problem?" he growled at it.

It leaned down until they were nose to nose and looked directly into his eyes before growling at him.

"He said he'll kill you if you harm his children." Hakkai relayed.

"If your children go on a killing spree, I will kill them if I can't stop them any other way." he snarled into the cat's face.

"Virya," Hakkai began, "Would it be possible for Dana to follow and then travel with them? We could follow behind later and try to stay between them and civilization."

The cats locked eyes for a few moments before Dana loped off in the same direction as the other two.

"We won't kill them." Hakkai assured the cat.

He glared down at Sanzo for a long moment before lifting his foot and sitting down next to them, tail flickering in irritation.

----------

Seiten Taisei ran until he was far enough away that he was certain no one could catch up with them. He saw a clearing and slowed to a stop. His mate was still terrified and there was nothing around but him. He didn't know why she would fear him or what to do to make it better so he set her down and then sat down in front of her so he looked as small and non-threatening as possible. He would not take such a submissive pose for any other reason and it grated a little even though it was for his mate. He kept his eyes on her feet and watched her stand there and tremble.

He extended his senses to make sure no one was around them and found patience as he continued to sit at her feet until the trembling finally subsided and her heartbeat slowed down. As the stench of her fear was blown away by the gentle breeze he chanced a look up through his lashes. She was staring at him curiously and her hand was halfway to his head. When she realized he was looking she moved to snatch it back but he latched onto it before she could and moved it to his head before releasing it. She tensed but then relaxed when he let go and after a moment started running her fingers through his hair.

A few minutes later she started speaking quietly. "I do not know who you are, but I can feel we are connected. I have no idea how I came to be here or who I am but . . . I know you will not hurt me." she moved her gaze down to his golden eyes before asking, "Right?"

He looked at her curiously. Seeing she wanted reassurance, he reached out for her other hand and rubbed it against his cheek while letting out a long purr. She relaxed and he tugged her into his lap. She tensed again but he only nuzzled her neck and wrapped his arms around her waist.

"You are my mate?" she asked in realization.

He purred again and she relaxed completely as she buried her face against him.

"Why can I not remember you? What is your name? What is mine?" she cried softly into his chest. "And why was I in the middle of a battle? What happened to me?"

He held her tightly and rocked her while her tears flowed and answered her questions as best he could. It seemed to help since she stopped after only a few minutes. She pulled away a little to look at him and realized that he was bleeding from a cut on his cheek. Her eyes narrowed in concern and she reached up to rest her hand against his cheek.

"You are hurt." she said before her hand started to glow softly, startling her. When it stopped she ran a thumb over the blood and saw that the cut had been healed. She looked into his wild golden eyes and smiled, "I healed you."

He smiled back at her and leaned forward to steal a kiss. She allowed it and, after a moment, he deepened it and slid his hand up her thigh. They lost themselves to their instinctive need to be together for a long time after that.

----------

By the time Dana caught up to them, he was curled protectively around her as they slept. The cat gave them a knowing look before settling down nearby to keep watch. One golden eye opened to verify what his nose had told him before he pulled his mate closer against him and went back to sleep.

When they awoke Yochi followed her mate over to the tiger and watched them communicate in fascination. She had no idea she could understand tiger-speak.

"Who am I?" she asked the tiger, her desperation to know coming through clearly. She held her mate's hand tightly as the tiger explained who she was and why she couldn't remember anything.

"So they are friends?" she asked after the other three she had seen were described and identified. She turned to her mate and asked, "Why would you try to kill them if they are friends?"

He growled a response and she smiled gently at his concern for her well-being. "But, if they are friends, they would not hurt me."

Another growl.

"She said they healed my injuries. I do not think they would harm me after that."

Narrowed eyes greeted this.

"If Virya was standing above me, do you think he would have let them near if they wanted to take me away? And Dana tried to protect them too even though we are her children."

Eyebrows drawn together thoughtfully before a quiet growl.

"Do not be silly, Seiten. _You_ are my mate, not any of them." she wrapped her arms around his waist and leaned up to trail kisses along his neck.

He purred in response before picking her up and carrying her back over to the clearing, kissing her hungrily the entire way. Dana watched them for a moment before making herself scarce. She didn't feel any great need to be there while her children played, no matter how pleased she was that they finally were. Perhaps there would be cubs for her cubs to play with after all . . .

----------

Sanzo, Hakkai and Gojyo were trying to come up with a plan to catch Goku and Iyame before they hurt anyone.

"Do you think Iyame is still all right?" Hakkai asked.

Sanzo looked over at him and gave a small shrug as if to say, _how the hell would I know?_

"As close as those two are, if Goku does something to harm her, he'll be devastated. Especially if it's permanent."

"She's not in any danger from him. The last time they saw each other and his limiter was off they just got grabby." Gojyo replied.

"Let's go." Sanzo said as he hopped into the jeep. Hakkai and Gojyo followed and they looked expectantly at Virya.

He gave Sanzo a threatening look before taking off at a steady but ground eating pace. Hakkai hit the gas and took off after him, jolting them all back in their seats.

"She was acting oddly when she stood up." Gojyo stated.

"It's likely she hit her head when she fell and was dazed. It's possible she may be suffering from slight amnesia, but let's not borrow trouble." Hakkai returned.

"What about her limiter? I saw it was missing right before Goku took her." Sanzo asked.

"She should be fine without it. She had to take it off to heal you and Hakkai and didn't seem interested in anything beside the task at hand. I wonder why she can stay in control but Goku can't?" Gojyo mused.

"I wonder if she'll still be in control if she doesn't know who we are or if she'll assume we're a threat and react accordingly." Hakkai added.

Virya rumbled a comment and Hakkai turned thoughtful. "Good point, Virya. We hadn't thought about that."

"What?" Sanzo growled.

"She can speak to the tigers still and they have been around her so much that their scent is part of hers. She'll recognize that easily in her youkai form and know they are friends. That should work on us as well."

"It never worked with Goku." Sanzo growled.

"We'll have to find out why." was Hakkai's only reply to that before he slammed on the brakes.

The other two looked at him, perplexed, and he chuckled and indicated towards the front of the jeep. They followed his gaze and narrowed their eyes at the sight that greeted them. Homura and his two cohorts were standing casually in the center of their path.

"Well, hello Sanzo and party. How are you this fine evening?" he sneered.

"What do you want, Homura?" Sanzo growled.

Virya came up behind him just then and gave him a thorough sniffing. Startled, Homura spun around and stared at the big cat for a long moment. Once done, he butted Homura's shoulder in a friendly way and sat down between the two parties. The war prince gave him a puzzled look before returning his attention to the jeep.

"Where is our little Goku?" he asked snidely.

"None of your concern." Sanzo replied shortly.

"He's our Goku, not yours." Gojyo muttered around his perpetual cigarette.

"Well? Aren't you going to tell me?" he taunted.

"No. What do you want?" the monk demanded.

"To play with little Goku. I'll find him myself if you don't want to help me." he replied before disappearing with his friends and one last flash of his smug smile.

The three shared a glance before once more following Virya's quick pace.

----------

Yochi woke up before her mate and propped herself up on an elbow so she could study him. _He is so beautiful._ His long hair was golden brown and soft to the touch. She rubbed a few strands between her fingers as she looked at him. He had long claws that could shred the enemy to bits or gently caress her body without breaking the skin, golden eyes that told her everything she needed to know about what he was feeling, a voice that could howl in rage or purr in pleasure depending on his mood, and his body! What more could a girl ask for? It was long and lean, muscular, and well trained. He could protect her or their children from anything and reveled in it. She ran her fingertips along the planes of his chest while she studied him and soon he started purring in his sleep. She smiled in delight and rested her head on his chest so she could feel it better.

She heard quiet footsteps and looked up to see Dana return to the clearing. The tiger looked at her questioningly for a moment before Yochi smiled and answered, "For now . . . Okay." she quietly pulled out of her mate's grasp and pulled on her clothes before walking over and sitting next to the tiger.

Dana rested on her side and reached over a paw to pull Yochi against her chest.

"This feels familiar." she said quietly to the tiger. They lay like that for a long time while Dana talked about their past and tried to help Yochi remember.

They traveled the countryside for several days catching wild game for meals and scavenging in empty houses before they came upon anyone else. Seiten and Yochi had been sleeping when someone staggered into the clearing they had stopped in. They looked up in time to see him collapse. Yochi hurried over and checked his injuries.

"He is badly hurt, Seiten. Would you please get some water for him?"

Seiten growled a response and she gave him a stern look, "He is not going to harm us. Look at him. He is unconscious . . . . I cannot stand here while he bleeds to death, it is not right."

Another growl and a shake of his head.

"Please, my love?"

He finally nodded and ambled over to the stream. When he got back she used the water to clean the wound before she placed her hands on it. The pair watched as they glowed while the tissues knit themselves together.

She smiled up at her mate, "Thank you. He will probably sleep for a while, so we should keep an eye on him. Do you want to find some dinner while I start a fire?"

He nodded and was off. Yochi sat quietly near the resting man and studied him carefully for signs of further injury. She was curious how he had come to be in the middle of nowhere and injured. Perhaps he would wake soon so she could find out. Once she was satisfied he was all right she went to collect wood for the fire. After the fire was burning merrily she dug through the bag of supplies they had scavenged from an abandoned house and got what she needed to make stew.

Seiten came back a few minutes later with some rabbits and she got to work on dinner while he watched the stranger suspiciously. Not too much later he stirred and Yochi went over to help him into a sitting position.

"I am glad to see you are awake, friend. How are you feeling?" she asked solicitously.

He blinked his lavender eyes at her before asking, "Who are you?"

"I am Yochi. You stumbled into our camp wounded so I healed you. Are you feeling all right?"

He nodded slowly, "I am Lord Kougaiji. Thank you for your assistance."

Seiten growled and Kougaiji turned to find the source of the sound. He stiffened and tried to move away from him. "Goku? Where are the others? Why did you help me? Are you planning on holding me hostage?"

Yochi gave him a puzzled look at the name he used on her mate but let it go as she held him still. "We helped you because you were injured. You are free to walk away as soon as your legs will carry you. To that end, let me get you some dinner." She went over and filled the other bowl and brought it over to him.

He smiled his thanks and ate while he asked questions, casting puzzled glances at Goku from time to time. "Where are Sanzo and the others?"

"Sanzo?" she asked blankly.

Kougaiji looked at them in surprise.

"The monk and the other two Goku travels with?"

Yochi shrugged, "I do not know anyone but Seiten and Dana."

"How is that possible?"

"There was a fight and I hit my head. I do not remember anyone. I only know Seiten is my mate because I can feel the connection between us."

Kougaiji looked at them thoughtfully. He could probably convince them to join his side but something about that grated against him. It would be dishonorable to take advantage of them like that. Suddenly something large was behind him sniffing his head closely. Kougaiji snapped his head around and found himself face to face with a giant blue tiger.

"Dana, you should not sneak up on injured people. You are apt to scare them half to death and undo all my hard work." Yochi chided the tiger.

"You know her?" Kougaiji asked in surprise.

"Oh yes, she is our mother." At his perplexed look she elaborated, "She said she adopted me about five hundred years ago and Seiten only recently."

"You're over five hundred years old?" he asked in surprise.

"So she tells me and she has no reason to lie. Seiten is as well."

Kougaiji took a moment to digest this information. He looked up and realized the sun was going down fast. He stood up gingerly. "I should get back. It's late and my friends will be wondering where I am. Thank you for helping me. I hope I can return the favor some day."

"It was nice to meet you." Yochi said as she stood to clasp his arm.

Seiten came over as well and reached out to grip Kougaiji's arm, which took the demon by surprise. He looked at the couple one last time before disappearing.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

As the days passed, Seiten realized he was starting to get in touch with the part of himself that had been separated. He could sometimes see flashes of memories from his years on earth. Some of what he saw made him angry while other things pleased him greatly. He was not sure what these flashes meant to him, but he took it as a sign that one day he would be whole again and not just the beast that he currently was. He was calmer than the last time he had escaped and he decided that was because Yochi was there with him. The last time he was out he had wanted to get away from the others so he could start looking for her. He knew she was somewhere, alone and unprotected, and it drove him mad to think she might be in danger and he was not there to protect her. He knew she was powerful enough to defend herself, but her heart was so gentle that he did not trust the enemy would extend her the same courtesy as she did them.

He still was too much of the beast to speak as Yochi did, but he knew she understood him regardless of what language he spoke. This side of Goku adored his mate and went to great lengths to show it, for he knew it was natural and nothing to by shy about or ashamed of. He hunted and brought back the best game he could find for their meals. When he saw an exceptionally beautiful flower, he would bring it back to tuck into her long hair. Seiten showered her with affection, from a simple twining of their fingers to their most passionate embrace; he was always in physical contact with her.

Yochi bloomed under the care and attention of her mate and returned it with enthusiasm. She would forage for the best spices and make delicious meals from the game he brought her. She was as demonstrative with her affection as he was and they travelled together either snuggled together on Dana or walking hand in hand in the shade of the trees. The longer Seiten was without his limiter the more in touch with himself he became and he celebrated in the feeling of becoming whole once more. He told her how much he loved her in every way he could and as often as possible.

----------

They looked up when they heard footsteps coming and Dana got up to greet Virya. Yochi heard quiet footsteps following him and saw the others stop at the edge of the clearing. She looked over at her mate and saw he was awake and watching them with murderous eyes. She walked over and stepped in front of him so he had no choice but to look at her.

She reached up and cupped his cheeks, "They are our friends, my love. Please do not hurt them."

He narrowed his eyes and growled softly.

"They will not hurt us." She slid her hands down his arms and turned so her back was resting against his chest. He rested his hands gently on her upper arms.

"Are you here to harm us?" she called to them.

Hakkai and Gojyo put their hands up to show they were empty. "No, Iyame. We just want to get Goku's limiter back on before he hurts someone."

Her mate growled a negative response over her shoulder. "Seiten said no. Why do you call us Iyame and Goku?"

"He doesn't have a choice in the matter." growled the bright haired one.

"There is always a choice. He chooses no. Now please explain what you called us."

"When your limiters are on, you take another form and those are the names you use." the dark haired one said soothingly.

Yochi furrowed her brows and looked to Dana for verification. The tiger gave her a look that clearly said what you call people or what they call you doesn't matter. "Why do you want to put the limiter back on him but not on me?" she asked.

"He is wild in this form and kills everything he sees for fun. You, apparently, don't." the bright one responded while pulling out a small gun.

Yochi stiffened, "I see you pulling out a weapon and him standing here quietly. How does that make him the dangerous one?"

"She has a valid point, Sanzo. You should put the gun away. I don't think you want to shoot Goku, do you?" Hakkai said quietly.

Sanzo lowered the gun but did not put it away. "I'll shoot him if I have to, Hakkai."

"You will do no such thing. He has not done anything to warrant such treatment. We have been wandering for over a week and only killed wild game so we could eat." Seiten continued to growl insults and threats over her shoulder as the others conversed. He was not pleased by this turn in events.

"Please put his limiter back on." the crimson one called quietly.

"Me?" Yochi asked in surprise.

"Yes. Merciful Goddess said you had the power to create a limiter for him."

"Of course I do, I am his equal in all things, but I am not going to put one on him if he does not agree."

"You have to." Sanzo said.

"No, I do not. It is not for me to make choices for him when he has given me no reason to do so."

"Then I will shoot him."

She glared at him, "I thought we were supposed to be friends? Friends do not shoot friends for no reason. I am not holding him back or preventing him in any way from killing you, yet he stands here and does nothing but talk." She listened to the three confer.

"She has a point. This isn't like the other times where he's gone after anything that moves." Hakkai pointed out.

"If she won't do it, I will. If I can't, then I'll shoot him." Sanzo growled.

"No, you won't! He's our friend and I won't let you." the crimson one ground out.

"You, crimson one, please come here. I would speak with you."

He looked at the pair and hesitated.

"You will come to no harm as long as you do not try to harm us."

He glanced back at the others and shrugged before walking over to them. He stopped a few feet away, not wanting to be within reach.

"What is your name?" she asked kindly.

He looked at her suspiciously, "Gojyo."

She held out a hand, "I am Yochi. It is nice to meet you, Gojyo."

He shook her hand cautiously and watched Goku carefully for a reaction while he did so. He watched but did nothing. "Um, it's nice to meet you too."

"What is your relationship with Seiten? You seem very concerned for him."

Gojyo looked her in the eye when he answered, "He's like a little brother to me."

"So you would see him come to no harm?"

"No, but I don't want him to harm someone and regret it later. It would hurt him, especially if it was one of us again."

"Again?"

"Yeah. The last time he lost control he ending up almost killing us before Sanzo was able to put his limiter back on."

She turned to Seiten and looked at him questioningly. He nodded.

"But why? I know you know they are your friends. They have your scent all over them."

He growled out a reply that made her look away with distress clearly written over her features.

She looked back at him, "I am very disappointed to hear you say such things, Seiten. You should have just left. I thought you were better than that." She turned and walked a few steps away from him, keeping her back to him.

It was his turn to be distressed and he looked at her back with hurt written clearly across his wild features. He walked up and placed his hands gently on her shoulders, apology written clearly in his posture.

"It is not me you need to apologize to. You hurt them and they care greatly about you. Especially this one." she indicated to Gojyo, "He is most loyal to you and you betrayed that bond. He has forgiven you for it without your apologies, but you should apologize anyway." She continued to keep her back to him.

"He doesn't need to do that. I know he didn't mean it." Gojyo defended his friend.

"Perhaps Goku did not intend it. Seiten however . . ." she trailed off without finishing.

Seiten looked at the ground as he removed his hands from her shoulders and walked over to Gojyo. Sanzo made to interrupt but Hakkai had been watching carefully and understood that his intent was not to cause harm. Seiten stood in front of Gojyo, looking very contrite, and slowly held out his arm. He looked up into Gojyo's eyes for a moment and the kappa saw apology written clearly in them.

He reached out to grasp Goku's arm firmly. "I understand how hard it is, little monkey." he told his friend kindly. Gojyo saw the relief in his eyes and the slight smile that tugged his lips at the words and he saw Goku in there. "Friends?" he asked.

Seiten nodded before pulling him in for an enthusiastic hug. He turned and looked back at his mate who was watching him with the smile she only smiled for him. He smiled back then looked at the other two uncertainly before returning his gaze to her. She nodded encouragingly and waited until his back was turned before turning a forbidding look on Sanzo. The monk glared back but put his gun away and slowly brought out his fan to tap against his palm.

"Is he crazy or just stupid?" Gojyo murmured. Yochi looked at him questioningly. "He likes to punish us for doing stupid things by smacking us with the fan."

She looked slightly taken aback, "Seiten has done nothing foolish."

"He took off his limiter when he saw you get hurt and if you hadn't gotten up when you did he likely would have tried to kill us again."

"He is too old to be punished so childishly."

"You try explaining that to Sanzo."

She cocked her head at him for a moment before replying, "I will." She was gone in a flash and standing behind Sanzo before he could blink. She spoke in the barest of whispers, knowing that Seiten could hear her but trying to be discreet anyway. She knew he would appreciate the effort at least. "Put that away. He is not a child and you need to stop treating him as such."

"I will punish my charge in whatever way I see fit."

"He is behaving as mature as his years. Do you not think hitting him with a fan as if he were a small child is counter productive?"

He gave her his darkest glare while Goku apologized to Hakkai. She didn't look away or even flinch.

"It's all right, Goku. I understand how hard it is to see someone you love get hurt." Hakkai said gently to his friend. He got a hug as well, but it was gentler than the one Gojyo had received.

Seiten turned towards his sun and saw his mate step away and leave them to it. This one was the most difficult for him. He knew this man was precious to his other half but he also knew that he was a hard man and could be unforgiving when it suited him. He had not forgiven him for taking his mate away so long ago and it grated his pride to need to apologize to him for anything. The others were blameless in that situation as far as he was concerned. Seiten watched him closely as he stepped over and apologized. He held out his arm and waited to see if the sun would take it.

"Do you really want my forgiveness?" Sanzo asked.

Seiten looked at him and nodded slowly.

"Then tell her to put your limiter back on."

He narrowed his eyes at the man and shook his head while growling a response.

Sanzo glanced at Yochi for a translation. She gave her mate an odd look but stated, "If I did, you wouldn't be forgiving me, you would be holding me hostage."

"So?"

"I will put my limiter back on when I am ready, not because you won't forgive me until I do."

"Goku would put it back on in an instant." Sanzo told him.

Seiten dropped his arm and glared at the monk while he made his response and Yochi translated, "I won't hurt you as long as you don't try to hurt me but I am not putting the limiter back on until I am ready. I removed it on my terms and I will replace it on my terms."

"Then I'll have to shoot you." Sanzo replied, his voice hard.

He pulled out his gun and several things happened at once. Yochi raised a shield between them, Gojyo leapt in front of Sanzo's gun, and Sanzo pulled the trigger for a warning shot. When the dust settled, Gojyo was lying on the ground completely still with a gunshot wound to the heart. Seiten gave Sanzo a look that promised payback as he knelt down next to his friend. Hakkai was already on the ground next to him trying desperately to heal him. Yochi stared at their friend in horror as she realized he was dead.

"Gojyo." she whispered as she sunk to her knees beside him.

Hakkai became aware of her presence and took hold of her shoulders desperately. "Please, Iyame, help him."

"But, Hakkai, he is dead. What could I possibly do?"

"You brought me back once. Please help him. He can't leave me."

Yochi looked at Seiten for confirmation and he nodded. "Equals and opposites: you end life and I restore it." He nodded again and she turned back to the crimson haired man next to her. She looked at the trembling Hakkai, "I don't know what to do."

He took her hands and placed them on Gojyo's chest. "Think about what you want to happen. The bullet out of his body, the tissues knitting back together as they should be. Breathing, living, whole and healthy again. Summon the energy and let it flow."

Yochi concentrated and felt a light go on inside her. She showed it what she wanted and let it take over. Her entire body glowed golden white and Hakkai watched Gojyo anxiously while she worked. Suddenly his eyes snapped open and he dragged in a deep breath. The glow subsided and Yochi collapsed against Seiten, who caught her and cradled her against his chest.

Hakkai eased Gojyo up into a sitting position and held him tight against his chest. He looked angrily at Sanzo, "You almost killed him."

"I did kill him. Stupid water sprite should know better than to step in front of a gun." Sanzo growled.

Seiten looked up at him with narrowed eyes but could do nothing until he knew Yochi was all right. Virya solved the problem for him by once again knocking Sanzo down and resting a foot on his chest, much more heavily than the last time. He then pointedly returned his attention to Yochi, who was stirring in Seiten's arms. She opened her eyes and saw her mate first and smiled. Then she remembered Gojyo and sat up so fast only Seiten's ultra fast reflexes kept her from breaking his nose on the way up.

"Hakkai, is he okay?" she demanded.

He looked up at her and smiled, "Yes. Just a little tired, I think."

She slumped back down for a moment before looking around. Her eyes landed on Sanzo and she scrambled to her feet. "You-you foolish monk! What were you thinking? How dare you pull the trigger and try to shoot my husband! How dare you take such a caviler attitude about the lives of your companions!" She opened her mouth to continue but simply could not put her outrage into words. Finally she roared, "I should have left you paralyzed!" before bursting into tears.

Seiten pulled her against his chest and glared at the monk while she recovered her composure. After several deep breaths she pulled away and walked over to Sanzo, wiping angrily at her tears. She picked up his gun and slipped it into her belt.

"You have lost your shooting privileges until you prove to me that you can handle a gun responsibly. Virya, you may let him up when you wish." She turned back to the pair on the ground.

"He took that rather well. I don't think he's ever allowed anyone to just stand there and yell at him." Hakkai observed darkly.

"Oh, he did not have a choice. I swelled his jaw shut so I would not have to listen to anymore of his foolishness. If he had not been bent on shooting Seiten then Gojyo would not have needed to protect him. By the way Gojyo, Seiten and I can take a couple of shots from that gun without permanent harm. I appreciate that you were worried about us, big brother, but please be more careful in the future."

"You remember us now?" Gojyo asked quietly.

"Yes. All of that chi flowing must have unlocked everything."

"Are you willing to replace Goku's limiter now?" Hakkai asked quietly.

"Not until he tells me to." she replied without hesitation. "He has not done anything to warrant it so it must be his choice."

Gojyo looked up at his friend, "Goku, I miss your voice. How am I supposed to pick a fight with you if I don't understand what you're saying?"

Seiten looked at Gojyo thoughtfully as memories of arguing with him chased across his mind's eye. After a long moment, he spoke in a voice rusty from disuse. It was low and rumbling, very unlike Goku's voice. "I can speak." he said slowly, as he found the language deep within his mind.

Gojyo and Hakkai's eyes became impossibly wide.

Sanzo's narrowed before he growled. Yochi's narrowed in return before she lifted the swelling so he could ask, "And why haven't you shared that with us before?"

Seiten glared right back, "Do you talk to your toys?"

Yochi gasped in surprise at the callous words. "Seiten, how could you say such things to your friends?"

"He is not my friend. He took my mate away from me in heaven. Friends don't do that."

She tugged him around until they were almost nose to nose, "Konzen sent me away to protect me. What would you have done if the Jade Emperor sent me with Nataku and never let me come back?"

"I would have gone with you. I could have helped our friend defeat his enemies."

She looked up at him sorrowfully, "And what kind of existence would that have been? Always at war. Always wounded. Always under attack by some new enemy. We could never have had a family like that."

"We don't have a family now." he replied flatly.

She recoiled from him with a wounded expression and returned her attention to Gojyo to make sure he was all right. He frowned down at her before sighing and resting a clawed hand gently on her shoulder in apology. Yochi gave a brief nod of acknowledgement but did not meet his eyes.

"Why are you angry?" he demanded.

She spun around and glared at him, "Because you are being an ass. Why did you apologize to them if you think they are toys?"

His eyes widened at her verbal and non-verbal language. "I don't understand why you think that. You wanted me to apologize, so I did. I meant it for Taisho, and mostly for Gensui."

She spluttered for a moment before standing up and walking away from him with a rumbling growl. Seiten's eyes narrowed at her behavior and he stalked over to her so he could turn her around to face him. He settled his hands firmly on her shoulders so she couldn't get away and glared down at her.

"Why are you angry?" he asked again.

"Seiten, you called our family toys. You tried to kill them, insulted them by apologizing and not meaning it. That comment about not having our family yet hurt." She looked down, "You know I would not have been able to stand always being at war, all of that death and destruction. I should not have been gone so long, but Konzen was only trying to protect me. Then Master would not allow me to leave and I had to run away. But it was too late. I was too late." She buried her face in her hands and started crying in earnest.

He stared down at his mate in absolute surprise before tugging her against him so she could bury her face in his chest. She had never cried like this in all the time they had spent together. Seiten purred softly for her until she calmed down to sniffles.

"Don't cry, my heart. I didn't mean to hurt you. I'm still angry that Konzen took you away without my permission and none of them would tell me where you were."

"I understand that, but please, they are the only family I've had for so long I can't stand to see you treat them this way."

He buried his face in her hair and rocked them slowly while he considered all she had said. Finally he released her enough to look down into her face, "When this is done, we're going to start our family. They will be uncles and we'll have many children for them to spoil. And no one will ever take you away from me again."

She smiled softly before brushing a kiss against his lips. He released all but her hand and started pulling her back to where the others were gathered, "Come, I would like to check on Taisho and make sure he is all right."

She willingly followed him back to the others and watched as he knelt beside his friend.

"Do you still believe I should replace my limiter?" he asked the former general quietly.

Gojyo caught Seiten's eye before speaking, "You're true form is too powerful to walk around everyday. I would worry about you less, monkey, if you did."

"And you recommend this even though you know what it does to my mind?" he asked.

Gojyo hesitated as he considered the question. He didn't want his friend harmed by wearing the limiter, but there was no way they could safely travel with him in his natural form. "Is there a way to replace it that doesn't split your mind?" he finally asked.

Seiten looked up at Yochi and she replied, "I think I can create a limiter that limits your power without dividing your mind, but it might take a while to figure out how. I already know how to make your regular limiter and can make it weaker."

Seiten considered Gojyo silently before turning his attention to Yochi, "All right, but make sure I remember."

"Are you certain, sweetheart?"

He pulled her close for a lengthy kiss and then nodded. She reached up and placed her thumb and pinky on either side of his forehead and closed her eyes. The others watched as a band formed and locked around his head. He collapsed and she caught him, as she always would. She carried him over to where Dana was resting and noticed that Virya had let Sanzo up. He was pacing angrily but if you looked very, very closely, you could see the guilt and horror he was feeling. _He should be feeling guilty about what he did._ She settled down with Goku between Dana and Virya to ensure the monk didn't try anything funny while they rested. She looked up as she heard quiet footsteps approach.

"Is everything okay?" she asked Gojyo when he stopped.

"Thank you."

She smiled at her friend, "You are very welcome. Now get some rest and let Hakkai fuss over you a bit. He was very worried."

Gojyo glanced over his shoulder at the other man, "Yeah, I got that feeling."

"Good night, big brother."

"Good night, little sister." he replied before walking back over to Hakkai so he could fuss over him a little more. She curled around Goku and fell asleep.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Goku swam toward wakefulness slowly, feeling warm and content as he snuggled into Iyame and let out a contented purr. He ran a hand down her back and felt her nuzzle him in return so he slid his other hand up her thigh, which was wrapped around his hip, and pulled her close. She snaked her arms around him and shifted so he was lying on top of her with him cradled between her thighs. _If this isn't heaven, I didn't know what is_.

Someone cleared their throat loudly not too far from them and two pairs of eyes, one gold and one blue, opened slowly. Goku looked down at Iyame and realized they were in a very compromising position. He looked up to see who had cleared their throat and saw Sanzo glaring down at them.

"S-Sanzo?" he asked as he scrambled off of Iyame. She sat up quickly, on guard and watching Sanzo carefully. Goku felt it and looked over at her. "Hey, Iyame, where is your limiter?"

"I took it off a while ago. You will need to replace it for me later."

"What's up Sanzo?" Goku asked.

"How are you feeling this morning?" he asked in a voice Goku recognized as trouble.

"O-okay. What happened?"

"You removed your limiter again." he replied as he flicked his cigarette butt into the fire and pulled out a new one in the same motion.

Goku blanched, "Did I hurt someone?"

"Surprisingly, no you didn't. But Iyame made you apologize for hurting us the last time. Interesting, ne?"

"Apologize?" Goku asked in clear confusion.

"I would love to know what you said to her that made her so upset with you." Sanzo murmured.

Goku looked over at Iyame in confusion but she shook her head. "Later." was her only response. Something in her tone let Goku know not to press for more answers.

"I also wondered something else." Sanzo said quietly, "Why is it you didn't attack on sight last night?"

Goku looked baffled so she answered for him. "Because I am here."

"You were there when he transformed and went after us."

"Yes, but I was badly injured and he panicked. Goku, would you please come here for a moment?" she asked him.

Goku blushed as he thought about where he had woken up but knelt beside her regardless. "I'm going to help you remember, okay?"

"Um, okay." he agreed.

She reached up and placed her fingertips on each side of his head. They glowed briefly and Goku's eyes widened as memories started filtering up from his subconscious. Sanzo watched in interest as his charge's face turned bright red before he buried it in his hands. He looked at Yochi who returned the look blandly before returning her attention to her distressed mate.

Goku's head snapped up as a specific series of memories surfaced, "We saw Kougaiji? And he didn't pick a fight with us?"

"What's that monkey?" Gojyo asked as and Hakkai had wandered over to join the group.

"Someone named Kougaiji wandered into our camp. He was badly injured so I healed him and we talked for a little while before he left." Yochi explained.

"That's it?" Sanzo asked.

"Yes. He seemed rather stunned when Seiten shook his hand."

"You shook his hand?" Gojyo said in disbelief. "You didn't even try to hit him?"

Goku shook his head before burying his face back in his hands as he remembered what they did after Kougaiji left.

"Are you all right, Goku?" Hakkai asked gently.

"I'm fine." he replied in a slightly strangled voice. Finally he looked over at Yochi and spoke quietly, "You said we wouldn't do anything I wasn't comfortable with."

She looked at him in stunned disbelief for a moment before replying, "But, Goku, it was your idea."

"You knew I wasn't in my right mind." he said accusingly.

"No, I did not. I did not even know your name, just that you were my mate." she defended herself.

"So you would do something like that with someone you don't even know?" he yelled.

"You are my mate. That is all I needed to know!" she yelled back.

"But it wasn't _me_!" he yelled back.

"Of course it was. You remember it, do you not? You are wearing my mark, are you not?"

"He's not me. He's a stranger wearing my skin!" Goku argued.

"That is patently ridiculous."

"No, it isn't. You lied to me and you love him more than you love me!" he cried before taking off at a run.

"Goku!" she cried as she moved to follow him.

Gojyo held her arm, "Let him cool off for a while, little sister. The kid just realized he's done what every boy wants to do and his whole family knows. I think he's more embarrassed than anything else. Hakkai?" the kappa asked.

"I think that's part of it, but I also think he wasn't quite ready and now he's not sure what to do. The choice was taken out of his hands. And in his mind he wasn't even the one that did it."

Yochi looked at them pleadingly, "But Goku and Seiten are the _same person_."

"I'm sure he'll realize that soon enough." Hakkai said as he placed his hand on the distressed girl's shoulder. "Let's make breakfast. There's nothing like food to cheer Goku up." She reached up and gripped his hand for a moment before putting her cheerful mask back on and heading for their supplies.

"Sanzo," Gojyo said after the other two had walked away, "why is Goku so upset about this? Most guys his age would be thrilled to have slept with such a beautiful woman."

"He was raised in a temple. Sex wasn't discussed much but when it was he was made to understand that it was something you don't do lightly. Believe it or not, all of his practical education on that subject has come from whatever you've said in front of him."

Gojyo stared at the monk in blatant surprise, "You mean no one ever openly discussed sex with him?"

"I'm not exactly qualified for that discussion, Gojyo." Sanzo said irritably.

"But you're his guardian, Sanzo."

"So what? It's not like he needs to know."

"Actually it very much is. His wife is travelling with us and unless you want little Goku's running around you should see that he knows the basics at least." Gojyo argued hotly.

Sanzo cringed in horror at the thought of all the choruses of "I'm hungry" he'd hear if the two sages had children. They would probably have a litter just to spite him. "You're right. Go find him and talk to him and for Buddha's sake DON'T make fun of him."

"Me? Are you kidding? I'm the last guy that should give an impressionable young boy that talk!" Gojyo argued.

"What boy what talk?" came Hakkai's voice from behind them.

"Goku and THE talk." Gojyo said.

Hakkai looked at Sanzo curiously, "No one has had that conversation with him yet? Sanzo, he's eighteen, someone needs to."

"Fine. You're hired. Go take care of it." Sanzo growled, done with the uncomfortable conversation.

"Well, you're his guardian and he spoke with you before deciding to sleep next to Iyame. He's obviously more comfortable speaking with you about this than either of us." Hakkai pointed out."

"What can I possibly teach him about sex? I'm a monk. I haven't broken that particular vow."

Gojyo laughed, "That's probably the only one."

"Shut up or I will kill you." Sanzo snarled at him.

"Sanzo, I really think you are the best person to talk to him about this. He's sought you out before and I believe he will respond to you better than us on this."

"But-"

"You don't have to tell him how, Sanzo, he's already figured that out on his own. What he needs is the importance and responsibility explained to him, and who better than a monk for that?" Hakkai interrupted in his reasonable way.

Sanzo looked at the pair of them in disbelief before turning around and stomping off after the monkey. _I don't want to do this._ He followed the monkey's trail through the brush for several minutes, getting more annoyed with each step. Finally he spotted the teen sitting against a rock with his knees pulled up against his chest. There was another rock perfect for sitting on right next to him and Sanzo spared a thought to wonder if the monkey had chosen this spot for just that reason before deciding he was incapable of that kind of forethought.

"Monkey." he said as he drew near.

Goku peeked up at him before burying his face back in his knees.

Sanzo sighed irritably before taking a seat on the rock next to him and lighting the first in his second pack of the day. "Spit it out, monkey."

He was quiet for several moments before quietly saying, "She lied to me, Sanzo."

"How so?"

"She said we wouldn't do anything I wasn't comfortable with, but she took advantage of me not being me."

"Stop being stupid, monkey. She had less an idea of what was going on than you did."

"Doesn't that make it worse?" he asked.

"She trusts her instincts. You should follow her example."

"She loves that other part more than me." he said quietly.

Sanzo growled, "It's absurd to be jealous of yourself."

Goku looked up at that, "What?"

_Why, Buddha, why do you surround me with idiots?! _"You heard me the first time, monkey." he growled.

Goku thought about that while Sanzo smoked another cigarette. "I don't think I'm ready."

"Why not?" Sanzo asked.

"Well, I haven't known her that long and you said it was important and shouldn't be rushed into."

"You've known her your whole life." Sanzo corrected.

"So that makes it okay?"

"You two are mates, that makes it okay."

"But we didn't have any say in that." Goku argued.

"So you don't care about her?"

"Of course I care about her!"

"So how is that a problem?" Sanzo asked as he wished for the tenth time he wasn't having this conversation.

"I don't know! I just don't know what to think."

"Look, monkey, no one can tell you what to think but you. You two are mates and you care about each other so there's nothing wrong with acting on it – out of my sight and hearing. However, you need to act responsibly because the last thing we need is your offspring running around."

Goku's eyes got very wide. "Do you mean she could be-" he began.

"Don't even say it. You should refrain until the next town and you can do some shopping with Hakkai to ensure it doesn't happen. We should arrive in a couple of days."

"Shopping?" Goku asked blankly.

"For protection so you two can . . . have sex." he choked out that last part.

"Oh."

"Iyame and Hakkai are cooking breakfast." Sanzo offered hoping to distract the monkey.

"I'm not hungry." Goku whispered.

Sanzo looked at him with true concern for the first time that day. "What's wrong, Goku?"

"I'm not sure."

"Spit it out. Even if you're not hungry, I am."

"I just- I wanted- Never mind." Goku finally said.

"You feel like you missed the first time?" he asked when it looked like the monkey wasn't going to be able to spit it out after all.

A heaving sigh and reluctant nod were his answer. "Is that bad?"

"No. but it's too late to change it. Talk with Gojyo when we get into town. I'm sure he could give you some ideas."

"He'll just make fun of me." Goku argued.

"He takes this subject very seriously. He'll help you if you ask and if he doesn't I'll shoot him."

Goku considered this for several moments before nodding and standing. "Let's go."

They walked back to the camp together. Sanzo watched the monkey from the corner of his eye. Now that he was thinking about it, Goku hadn't been as hungry lately and it worried him.

----------

Meanwhile, back in camp Yochi and Hakkai were cooking breakfast. She had pulled the necessary supplies out of her pack and had already strapped the packs onto Dana's back. She worked silently and kept her face averted. Hakkai suspected it was because she didn't want them to know she was crying. She turned and Hakkai caught a glimpse of an injury on her neck.

"Iyame, do you want me to heal that?" he asked kindly.

"Heal what?" she asked blankly.

"The injury on your neck." he replied.

She froze for a moment before brushing her fingertips against it. "No, Hakkai. This one doesn't need to be healed."

"What happened?" He looked closer and saw that it looked suspiciously like a bite mark.

She blushed, "It's a mating mark."

"Oh. Haha. Never mind then." Hakkai replied quickly before returning to the cooking.

"A mating mark?" Gojyo asked curiously.

She nodded but made no other response.

The two men looked over as they heard two sets of footsteps come into the camp. Yochi kept her face averted but became noticeably tenser. At the sound of Goku's voice she hastily put the dish she had been holding down.

"I'm going to scout today's trail." she said before running to Virya. She leapt onto his back and urged him to a run before anyone could stop her.

Goku watched her leave with wide eyes before turning his searching gaze on the other two. "Where's she going?"

Gojyo answered, "She's going to scout the trail."

"Why?" he asked.

Gojyo and Hakkai just looked at him.

"She's upset?" he asked.

"What did I say about being stupid?" Sanzo snapped.

Goku went over to sit next to Dana, "Do you think she's okay? . . . But I didn't mean to upset her . . . Don't you think it's a lot to get used to all at once? . . . Okay." he stared down at his hands and made no move towards food when Hakkai called him over for breakfast. _She left me. She never went far from _his_ side._

Hakkai brought a bowl over and set it down next to him. Goku looked at it listlessly before offering it to Dana. She nudged him encouragingly but he just looked at it blankly for a few moments before putting it back where it Hakkai had left it.

"Great. Now we have to deal with their drama." Sanzo groused.

"Sanzo." Hakkai chided. "Give them a chance. It's been a difficult morning. Give them time to find their place and I'm sure everything will be fine."

He glared at Hakkai, "Let's get on the road. We've been here too long."

They packed up camp and Gojyo prodded Goku into the jeep. "You can't sit there all day, monkey. Come on, it's time to catch up with your girl."

He slowly walked over to the jeep and climbed in without a word. Once Hakkai had checked to make sure everyone was in their seats he put his foot on the gas and they took off.

Gojyo stared at him with real concern before leaning closer to him. "Goku?"

The monkey looked up at him and there were tears shimmering in his eyes.

"Hey, monkey, talk to me."

"Why did she leave?" he asked softly.

"Ah, monkey. Don't worry. You'll see her at lunch or dinner. She'll be back."

"How do you know?"

"Because any girl that spends five hundred years looking for you isn't going to let one little argument get in her way."

"But, Gojyo, she left me."

"Goku, she didn't leave you. She's just upset. I'm sure she feels bad about what happened this morning and figured you wouldn't want to be around her and she didn't want to hear you say it."

"But I do want to be around her." he argued.

"Well you need to tell her that, not me."

"But how can I when _she_ _left me_?"

"Get on the damn tiger and tell it to find her if it's bothering you that much. I don't want to listen to you mope all day." Sanzo growled.

"I don't know if that's the best idea." Gojyo intervened. "She obviously wants to be away from everyone right now. We should allow her to come back to us when she's ready instead of forcing the issue."

Goku looked between the pair of them before catching Hakkai's eye in the rearview mirror. "I agree with Gojyo. Give her time to work through it and if she's not back by dinner time, we'll ask Dana to find her."

Goku slumped in his seat, "Okay."

----------

Yochi rode Virya at top speed for quite a while before her crying stopped and her breathing returned to normal. The tiger sensed it and slowed down to their normal ground eating pace. He knew his charges were upset but there wasn't much he could do to help if they wouldn't talk to each other. He said as much to his daughter and waited patiently for her response.

"But he did not even give me the benefit of the doubt. He just assumed I had taken advantage of him or that I was some sort of loose woman. I have no idea what to think about his belief that there are two people living in his skin . . . Well, how can I talk to him if he runs away from me? . . . I left because I could not hide my hurt and didn't wish for him to see how deeply his actions cut . . . I have been nothing but open and look where it got me . . . I'm trying to understand, Virya, but I cannot. He is acting like we did something wrong. The only way it could be wrong is if he does not care about me and I do not want believe that is the case." She sighed, "I know we need to talk to each other, but I have no idea what to say."

They spent the rest of the day in companionable silence, changing their pace only when the sound of jeep reached their ears not long before dark. Yochi's tension increased as the jeep got closer and Virya twisted to give her a look that clearly stated he would not be available if she was planning on running away again.

"He is going to be mad at me for leaving him all day." she said quietly. "That was not very mature of me and he probably worried about me getting hurt the whole time."

Virya huffed in agreement before nuzzling Dana hello and adjusting his pace to follow the jeep. She fell in beside them and the pair started discussing their cubs. Yochi listened with half an ear as she studiously avoided looked at the jeep. She could feel Goku's eyes boring into her but she refused to take her gaze from Virya's neck.

When the jeep stopped she jumped off the tiger and started removing the harness on Dana before Goku had a chance to get out of the jeep. She started dinner and avoided looking at or speaking to anyone.

Goku watched with hurt showing clearly in his eyes while Yochi got off the tiger without his help and went straight to cooking without even looking in his direction. It was like she didn't want to be there and he didn't understand. He had looked forward to talking to her all day and now she refused to look at him. He looked helplessly at Gojyo who smiled encouragingly.

"It'll be okay, monkey." he reassured him. "Just give her a little time. She's here after all, so she must want to be around you, even though she's not ready to talk to you."

"But we caught up to her, Gojyo, not the other way around." he argued.

"They could have made sure we didn't catch up today if that was what she had wanted."

"Okay." Goku sat down next to Sanzo dispiritedly and missed the look the monk gave him.

Not once that day had Goku said he was hungry and Sanzo had had to threaten to shoot him to get him to eat lunch. He had hardly spoken and was now sitting silently on the ground at his feet. The monkey in love was an unsettling thing.

"Why are you sitting at my feet instead of talking to Iyame?" he asked with what he felt was an overly generous amount of patience.

"She's not ready to talk to me yet. She won't even look at me. Gojyo said she wanted to be nearby but maybe wasn't ready to talk yet." Goku replied quietly.

"So it's fine to pester me when I don't want to talk to you but not her?"

"Yeah." Goku agreed with a smile. "Besides, you're the one that started talkin' not me."

"Why don't you go steal some food from her?" Gojyo asked as he wandered over.

"Wouldn't that count as talking?"

"Not if you only do it once and then scram. It'll probably make her smile."

Goku thought about that for a moment before getting up and moving stealthily over to where food was being prepped. He knew the moment she realized he was getting close because her entire body visibly tensed. He almost didn't go through with it then but a quick glance at Gojyo and an answering smile got him moving forward. He swiped a carrot off her cutting board and saw a flicker of a smile as he darted away.

He waved the carrot at Gojyo and munched it on the way back to him. "You were right. She did smile." he said happily.

"See? You just have to remember to give her some space but let her know you're there when she's ready." Gojyo looked over the monkey's shoulder to see Iyame watching him. She still looked upset but it had a thoughtful quality to it now. He reached over and hit Goku's shoulder to get his attention. "There's hope for you yet, monkey." he said with a smile.

Goku flopped down next to him and studied his hands for a moment before looking back up, "If I wanted to talk to you about something, would you promise to be serious?"

Sanzo took this as a broad hint to make himself scarce if he didn't wish to be scarred for life and moved over to sit near Hakkai and Iyame. He watched Iyame until she looked up to acknowledge him. She held out longer than he thought possible.

"When are you going to have Goku replace your limiter?" he asked without preamble.

"Whenever he wishes to do so." came the quiet reply. "Does it make you nervous that I'm not wearing it?" she asked.

"No. If you are affected by the minus wave, I will kill you."

"That would be unwise."

"Really?"

"Yes. Goku would kill you before you could stop him, provided Virya and Dana did not get to you first. He would not be able to help himself. You need not worry. I can sense that something is wrong but it is so minor that it does not affect me."

"I'm not worried. We're going to reach a town tomorrow and it wouldn't be wise for you to enter it looking like that."

She shrugged carelessly. "He will do it when he is ready and I will not be the one to push him into something he is not ready to do."

"Little late, wouldn't you say?" Sanzo asked sarcastically.

She narrowed her eyes at him, "Do not speak of what you do not understand." She pointedly returned her attention to her cooking and the only response he got to his glares was her setting her tessen on the ground next to where she was cooking.

Hakkai looked over at the sound of her setting it down and chuckled quietly, "You wouldn't."

She flicked him a look before picking up the fan and swinging it at Sanzo's arm quickly but lightly. It was enough to say that she could swing it at him and he wouldn't be able to stop her if she meant business. He glared at her but there was an edge of appreciation for her fearlessness.

"Have you ever used that on the bad guys?" he asked sarcastically.

"Does that time when I used it on you when you smacked my husband with your fan count?" she asked innocently.

He growled while Hakkai gave a genuine smile. She handed Sanzo a steaming bowl with an almost smile. She filled up the others and Gojyo and Goku came over to get theirs. Everyone sat around the fire and Yochi took a seat between Goku and Hakkai. She sat a little bit further away from the fire than everyone else did and ate quietly. Once dinner was done she moved next to where Dana was stretched out and cuddled into her side to talk quietly.

Goku watched her closely while quietly continuing his conversation with Gojyo. Sanzo moved further away from them so he would have less a chance of overhearing them and spoke with Hakkai until it was time to turn in.

After checking that she was still talking with Dana, Goku set out his blankets and curled up in them. He tried to will himself to sleep but it felt alien to sleep alone, he was cold and lonely. Sometime later he pretended to be asleep as he listened to her set her blankets out on the other side of the fire and told himself it didn't hurt to have her so far away. He tossed and turned for hours trying to fall asleep with no success. He had to fight the urge to go to Iyame with every ounce of willpower he had. Goku didn't understand why he felt the need to be next to her as strongly as the need to take his next breath but it had been driving him slowly insane all day. He heard a small sound and flipped over to find the source.

"Do you mind if I sleep with you, Goku?" Yochi whispered.

"Yes. I-I mean no, I don't mind." He scrambled up to help her combine their blankets. Once they were combined he climbed in and pulled her in with him. He tucked her small form against his and wrapped his arms around her tightly. _Ahhhh. Much better._

"I missed you today, Iyame." he whispered.

"I missed you too, my love." she returned.

"Do you really think of both sides of me as one person?"

"Yes. It is all you and I love all of you." she said seriously.

"How can you love something that kills for pleasure?"

"Is there a part of you that does not find some enjoyment in killing? I have seen you kill with your limiter and without and you enjoy it either way."

Goku's eyes widened at the realization that she was right. "Oh."

She smiled softly, "Oh, is right. Shall we leave the serious talk for now and get some rest? It has been a difficult day."

"I have two more questions." he said quietly.

"All right." she replied just as quietly.

"Why do we have bite marks on our necks? I remembered giving them to each other but I'm not sure I understand why."

"These are our mating marks. They completed the bond between us."

"Is that why it was so hard to stay away from you today and I felt better as soon as you came over here?" he asked curiously.

"Yes. The completed bond is new so we will feel a strong pull towards each other for a while before it levels off. I can show you how to see it and control it tomorrow if you want."

"Okay." he replied thoughtfully.

"What was your other question?" she asked.

"That was it." He framed her face with his hands and leaned forward to give her a lingering kiss. "Good night, my heart."

She sighed, "Good night, my love."

----------

"I see the lovebirds have made up." Gojyo observed the next morning while Hakkai made coffee.

"Terrific. Now he can ride with her and I can enjoy a quiet day." Sanzo growled.

"We'll be in town by late afternoon. I'll do the shopping then so we can get on the road first thing in the morning."

"Take the monkey with you. He needs to pick up something." Sanzo said.

"What does he need? I'll add it to my list." Hakkai offered, knowing a rambunctious monkey would slow down his shopping.

"I'll go with you Hakkai." Yochi said as she stretched out the sleep kinks from her back.

"I trust no one needs to tell you what he needs?" Sanzo said.

Yochi studied him sleepily for a moment before blushing profusely. "No. I understand."

"Iyame? Are you gonna show me our bond now?" came Goku's cheerful voice.

"Before breakfast?" Gojyo asked in surprise.

Sanzo looked over, eyes narrowed. "Monkey. Why aren't you hungry?"

Goku looked up at his sharp tone and shrugged. "I dunno. I'm just not. Come on, Iyame. You said you'd show me our bond this morning." he scampered over to where they had been sleeping and took a seat while looking at her expectantly.

"Iyame. What's wrong with Goku?" Sanzo demanded.

She glanced at him and then studied Goku closely enough to have the boy blushing from across the clearing. "What do you mean? I cannot find anything wrong with him at all. He is in perfect health."

"Look again. Something is wrong with him."

"Why do you believe he is ill?" Yochi asked in concern. She had travelled with them long enough to know Sanzo did not worry without more than good reason.

"He's not hungry. Goku is hungry _all the time_."

Yochi studied him again thoughtfully before smiling and returning her attention to Sanzo. "Most of his hunger was probably due to the emptiness he subconsciously felt because I was so far away. Now that I am here he is not suffering as much. Five hundred years of not eating probably didn't help any."

"You're certain?" Sanzo asked.

"Yes." came the calm reply.

He nodded and went over to the fire, thoughtfully lighting a cigarette on the way.

"Come on, Iyame. You promised." Goku called.

She smiled as she walked over to him and sat close enough that their needs touched. She held up her hands and indicated that he should do the same. "I'm going to take you into a deep trance state, all right?"

He nodded and twined his fingers with hers so their palms were firmly pressed together.

"Follow my breath." she said as she started breathing deeply.

She took him into a deep meditative state that he would have been unable to attain on his own. Slowly he saw Yochi come into focus and looked down at his hands to see long talons.

"Yochi?" he asked cautiously.

"It is all right. Deep in our hearts we are our true forms. See now, our connection." She indicated to a cord of white and gold light that contained all colors swirling mistily around it in a helix pattern. It was very strong and bright and connected at their heart chakras. Three other, smaller, ropes flowed out as well. They were quite strong, but not as powerful as their connection.

"What are the smaller ones for?"

"Our connection with the others that form the five elements." she replied before explaining how he could use the connection to find the others.

"Oh." Seiten moved a hand towards it tentatively but stopped when his claws were centimeters away and looked at her uncertainly.

Yochi smiled, "You can touch it. Nothing will hurt it." She ran her fingers through it and it swirled up around her arm for a moment before returning to its natural shape.

Seiten followed her example and smiled in delight as he felt the warmth from the light climb up his arm.

"You can control it to an extent, if you need to." She showed him how to narrow the connection to half so that it was easier to live with. "You should only put it at less than a quarter for very short periods of time as it will harm our wellbeing to be so disconnected over the long term."

He practiced opening and closing the bond and saw that the light did not diminish or change but he felt less of Yochi's presence. After a few minutes he opened it back up because he had started to feel lonely without her right there.

"Yochi?" he asked quietly.

"Yes, Seiten?"

"Do you really love me or is it just our bond?"

She stepped close to him so she could peer up into his downturned face. "I love _you._ I have loved you for longer than I can count. I would love you without the bond because of who you are."

"Really?"

"Yes." she said as she wrapped her arms around him in a tight hug. When he returned it she smiled happily and held on for a moment longer before releasing him. "Ready to go back?"

"I guess so." he said as he ran his hand gently through the light one last time. "I don't have to be able to see it to control it?"

"Now that you know how to do it it can be done by feel."

"Okay. Let's go. I'm starting to get hungry."

She shook her head and smiled once more before leading them out of the trance state.

When Goku opened his eyes he saw that they had leaned towards each other and were nearly close enough to kiss. He stole one from her before slowly leaning back and standing. After he had pulled her up and against him, he stole another, much to her delight.

"Goku." Sanzo called.

They broke apart and Goku looked over at him. "Hey, Sanzo. What's up?"

"We're going to hit a town today. Put Iyame's limiter back on."

Goku looked at Iyame and realized her limiter was still off. "I can replace your limiter?" he asked in surprise.

"Of course. Sanzo could as well, but I would prefer you do it."

"How do I do it?"

"You just place your hand on my forehead and concentrate on creating a limiter. It is very simple, really. If you wish, you may replace it after breakfast. Otherwise I will have Sanzo replace it before we get into town later today." she replied casually.

"I'll do it." Goku said before grabbing breakfast for both of them from Hakkai.

She accepted the bowl and everyone settled down to eat. Once they were done and the dishes cleaned up, Goku walked over to Iyame.

"Ready?" he asked.

She nodded and stood still. "I'll probably sleep for a few hours after you replace it." she warned.

Goku smiled at the thought of her snuggling against him while she slept and reached out to place his hand on her head. Several moments later a silver band shimmered into existence and locked around her head. Goku caught her as she collapsed and swung her up into his arms. He walked over to Virya and studied the cat thoughtfully.

"How the hell am I going to get up there without pulling your hair or dropping her?" he mused. "Do you mind if I jump on just this once?" he asked the big cat.

Virya gave him a look that plainly said that was not an option and Dana came over to Goku's side. She nudged Iyame and Goku looked at her in confusion as she opened her mouth.

"Eh?"

"I believe she wants you to put Iyame in her mouth while you climb up and then she'll hand her to you." Hakkai offered.

The cat nodded so Goku gingerly set Iyame across her tongue and behind her incisors before he climbed up onto Virya. Once he was settled, Dana lifted her head and Goku accepted Iyame's limp form from her. "Thanks, Dana."

She butted his shoulder before turning around and looking expectantly at the group.

"Let's go." Sanzo said.


End file.
